


Shelter

by Isla_Bell



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Resident Evil - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Captivity, Eventual Romance, F/M, Game: Resident Evil 6, Getting to Know Each Other, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Monsters, Strangers to Lovers, Uneasy Allies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:14:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 57,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24248635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isla_Bell/pseuds/Isla_Bell
Summary: An alternate and extended version of Jake's campaign in Resident Evil 6, beginning in the snow covered cabin in Edonia. Jake and Sherry begin as uneasy allies until they realise how much the have in common. Trigger Warning: hints of child abuse (non-graphic).
Relationships: Sherry Birkin/Jake Muller
Comments: 40
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited May 2020 and Feb 2021.

The snow fell thick and fast as the wind stung the faces of the figures making their way through the storm, their eyes fixed on the small cabin which was the only source of shelter they could find. Jake grabbed a handful of Sherry's coat and dragged her much smaller body through the blizzard, finding his own large strides becoming more and more difficult as the ventured higher up. For a moment he felt her stumble and cursed the fragility of the woman until the memory of the gaping wound in her back stitching itself back together came to mind. This woman was far from fragile, he reminded himself.

"Almost there..." he called over his shoulder, unsure if she could even hear him. He had to hand it to her, she kept up with his relentless pace right up until he kicked the cabin door open and flung them both inside. "All right," he mumbled to himself as he quickly moved to the window to make sure they weren't being followed. The storm was bad enough that their tracks had already been covered. You'd have to be a certain type of crazy to keep searching for them in these conditions. Turning his back to the window he spotted Sherry already kneeling by the disused fireplace.

"The wood here is dry enough to start a fire," she told him, "But I don't have anything to light it."

Jake rummaged inside the pocket of his coat and pulled out a small, silver lighter. "Your lucky day," he told her with a smirk, flicking it open so the tiny flame illuminated Sherry's features just enough for him to catch the withering look she shot him. She took the lighter with a half-hearted thank you and turned back to the fireplace. Jake paused to watch her attempt to coax a fire in the freezing room. His eyes travelled over her narrow shoulders and fell upon the gaping hole in her jacket which was stained red with her blood. His fingers twitched as he felt the urge to reach out and touch the freshly healed skin that he could see between the torn layers. Had it not been for the rip in those clothes he would have thought he'd imagined that shard of metal speared in her back. Jake had seen some strange and often inexplicable things in his time but this softly spoken blonde haired girl was something else. It made him wonder exactly who she was, and who had sent her after him.

The smell of burning wood reached him, startling him from his thoughts as Sherry stood and flipped his lighter shut. "Do you think the light will attract anyone?" she asked, turning to hand back his lighter before having to jump back as her outstretched hand hit him square in the chest. It fell to the ground with a clutter as Sherry stumbled back. She was dangerously close to standing directly in the fire she'd just started. Jake shook his head slightly, forcing himself not to roll his eyes at her clumsiness. She was shaken up, he could tell. She must have been greener then he'd first thought. Without a word Jake ducked to pick up the lighter and made his way toward the only piece of furniture in the room, a large wooden table covered in deep groves and scratches. He ran his fingers over the surface. " _Well this is going to be a long night_." he thought dryly to himself, aware of how Sherry had begun pacing behind him. The girl needed to relax.

"So..." he began lamely, trying to think of what common ground he might share with a newbie American agent. "What was that stuff that Chris guy mentioned to you. Something about a city?"

Sherry stopped her pacing, yet he noticed her fingers tighten around her crossed arms as she looked at him with disbelief. "You don't know?"

Jake shook his head, "Should I?"

"Raccoon City... it was the start of all this. There was a major outbreak, a lot of people died. But not before..." Sherry's bright blue eyes darkened as her gaze fell upon the snow-covered window before she shrugged. "I was just a child back then. The monsters that attacked us were like something from a nightmare. And my father..."

Jake felt something shift in the air between them as words seemed to fail her. " _So much for keeping it light-hearted,_ " he scolded himself silently. Jake recognised the look that ghosted over her face. He'd seen it on plenty of battle weary men before so he couldn't help but wonder what this woman had seen as a girl to haunt her so.

Sherry moved closer to the fire, dropping her tightly-crossed arms before reaching up to unzip her jacket and inspect the damage. He realised she would never warm up with such a gaping hole in the back of it, so without a second thought he reached into one of the many pockets of his thick overcoat and pulled out a small pouch. Inside was a needle and thread, something he usually carried for stitching his wounds post battle. _Not_ for him to become a makeshift seamstress he thought as he exhaled loudly through his nose. Well, there was a first time for everything. Drawing closer to Sherry he momentarily thought he saw her withdraw from his approach, which he ignored, and took the coat from her grip as he found himself suddenly eager to have something to pass the time.

"What're you doing?" she asked, confused as he spread it over the table.

"Just give me a minute."

With that he began his work. It kept him occupied for while and he removed the need to force small talk or endure the awkward silence. Sherry moved from the fire to watch as his fingers moved with surprising skill, her own gloved hands wrapped around herself once more as her sweater did little against the cabin's bitter air. She tried to suppress the shivering, but it wasn't long before her limbs back to tremble. The cold would take longer to pose any real danger to her, but she could still feel it. Jake sighed before placing the needle on the table for a moment before removing his own jacket. He draped it smoothly over Sherry's shoulders without a word and turned back to the job at hand, missing the surprised yet appreciative look Sherry shot him.

"Thanks..." she mumbled, pulling the heavy jacket tighter around herself. It was warm and smelt like him, a strangely intoxicating scent which made her want to curl up and breathe in deeply. Jake grunted in response. He didn't want her to get the wrong idea. He wasn't being nice. Nice wasn't his thing. He just found her standing so close to him quivering and shifting from side to side in an attempt to pretend she wasn't cold distractingly annoying.

It didn't take much longer for him to finish his work. It was far from perfect but it was better than nothing. With a self-indulgent smile he lifted the coat with a flourish and held it aloft for Sherry to appraise, his eyes glittering as if to say "ta dah!"

Sherry couldn't help but smile. "Nice work."

"Thank you. Now if you don't mind, it's fucking cold in here," he told her with a nod at his own jacket. Sherry shrugged it off begrudgingly, it was warmer than her own would be and she missed the strange safety its oversized weight gave her. Although she did feel bad when she inspected the raised bumps on Jake's exposed arms. Arms that bulged with defined muscle as he swung the jacket around his shoulders.

"Much better," he told her with a surprisingly warm smile.

"You didn't have to do that for me," Sherry told him, a little embarrassed. She was the one who had been sent to protect him, yet here he was playing nanny and helping her clean up her mess. Jake waved his hand at her remark and shrugged.

"You're no good to me frozen on the side of a mountain."

"Right," Sherry sighed, suddenly remembering the real reason he was here. "You might lose out on your fifty million."

"You're damn straight babe," he told her unapologetically, perching himself atop the table once again before leaning forward so his elbows were resting on his knees. "But we're going to be stuck here for a while longer. Why don't you finish telling me about yourself."

The last five minutes had given Jake a much needed distraction, but they were now back to waiting in silence for the storm to pass. Jake hated silence. He always needed something to occupy his mind. A book... a drink... a woman...

Well, he had one of three options in the room with him. He might not be able to spend the time as he usually would with an attractive stranger but he decided he might as well find out her story.

Sherry almost laughed as Jake eyed her patiently for a response. It was almost like a line from a date. A bad date. "What do you want to know?" she asked almost playfully, deciding to go along with the ridiculousness of the situation. There wasn't anything better to do, after all.

"What's your star sign?" Jake asked, his face deadly serious. Sherry raised both her eyebrows with her mouth pursed as she watched him, unimpressed. Jake's face broke into a grin. "No? Okay, favourite colour? Flower? Food? How long you been an agent? How many kills you got under your belt?"

"God, Jake..." Sherry suddenly breathed with a shake of her head.

"What? Are you ashamed of what you do, Agent Birkin?" Jake pushed. For some reason he suddenly wanted to press all this girl's buttons, to see what she really had hidden beneath those big blue eyes and girl-next-door charm.

"Of course not," she snapped, "What about you?"

"Me? I'm a Leo."

Sherry stared at him wide-eyed for a moment before frowning. Jake's psychological profile had told her he was reckless, dangerous even. It hadn't mentioned this sarcastic element of his personality. Sherry wondered if there were some sociopathic tendencies the psychoanalysts had missed.

"Do you think this is funny?"

Jake made a face as if seriously weighing up the situation, rolling his shoulders as he thought. "Kinda... yeah. I mean what else can you do when the shit hits the fan."

With an impatient shake of her head Sherry rolled her eyes and turned her back, making her way back to the fireplace. She could feel her heart begin to beat a little faster than usual as her blood began to grow hot in her veins. Did he not realise the seriousness of their situation? People were dying and even more would die without his blood. And here they were sitting around with nothing else to do but wait. It was... maddening.

"Hey, come on. Don't go all quiet on me. I was just trying to lighten the mood." Jake drawled from behind her. Sherry let out an exasperated huff and glanced over her shoulder. Jake was smiling at her. No, he was _smirking_.

"Don't you realise what's happening out there?" she snapped, "And I don't mean on this mountain. I mean out _there_ , in the world. Have you any idea what could happen if this virus gets out of control?"

Jake shrugged, indifferent. "I guess it means I can put my prices up."

His smart remark was enough to have Sherry whip round to face him, her feet moving to close the distance between them as her hand came up, fist clenched, and made contact with the scarred cheek on Jake Muller's face. Jake swore loudly, pushing himself from the table and forcing Sherry to stumble back as she realised what she'd done. She hadn't meant to hit him. But it was infuriating the way he just didn't seem to give a damn about _anything_ , not even thousands of people whose lives were at risk. _Millions_ in fact. Sherry forced the shock and horror from her expression as Jake looked at her, danger written in every inch of his face as he took one purposeful step forward. Sherry stood her ground, lifting her chin in defiance and held his cold gaze. She'd been trained to fight hand to hand. Jake had strength and size on his side but she still had her stun rod.

His eyes narrowed as he surveyed her. He could see the slight tremble in her hands, but it was quickly controlled. He lifted his hand to his aching cheek and felt his lips twitch into a small smile. At least she still had her gloves on, it had dulled the impact. "Didn't think you had it in you, super girl." he told her. Sherry blinked at him.

"You're... not mad?"

Jake snorted. "You think a little jab like that is gonna bother me? It's good to see you've still got some fight in you. You're going to need it."

Sherry shifted her weight from foot to foot as she tried to figure out what he was saying. "So you didn't mean what you just said, about the money?"

Jake contemplated telling her that, yes, he had meant it. Outbreaks usually meant a huge hike in his asking price, and he always turned a good profit. But somehow he didn't think it would go down too well, and now he knew the girl had some spirit he didn't want to risk pushing her any further. She was his key to fifty million dollars after all.

"Nah," he told her dismissively, "I'm not that much of an asshole."

He heard the tired sigh she tried to muffle and chose to ignore it. What did he care if she thought him a hard-hearted bastard? He'd been known to be worse. So why had he bothered to lie?

"Look, why don't we get some rest. You sleep first and I'll keep watch," he told her, suddenly tired of talking. He caught the sideways look she gave him, the one that spoke volumes. "What? You think I'm going to take off while you sleep?"

Sherry rested her back against the cabin wall and eyed him wearily, unable to keep the disdain from her voice, "I don't think you'd run. You'd never get your money."

Jake froze, feeling a coldness sweep through him at her words. Was she really implying what he _thought_ she was implying. Slowly he stepped toward her until they were toe to toe. He placed one hand against the wall beside her head, the other remaining loose at his side. To her credit, Sherry didn't so much as flinch as his eyes bore into hers. "What _exactly_ are you expecting me to do?" he hissed. Sherry tilted her head to one side as her eyes examined his face. She realised just how young he was now she could see him up close, even if his face was half-hidden by the shadows being cast over his features by the fire.

"Nothing." she told him flatly. "But I have a job to do, and that means not letting you out of my sight. So you can stop the big-tough-mercenary routine and just settle down."

Jake glared. Counting the lingering seconds as he took in every speck of blue in her eyes. He could practically count each of her eyelashes he was so close. He'd seen men tremble and nearly wet themselves just by the way he could look at them. Yet Sherry looked almost bored. Had her total dismissal of his attempt to intimidate her not been so frustrating than he would have been impressed.

"Fine," he sniffed, pulling back. "We need to at least block the door first. Then I'm getting some sleep."

There wasn't much to use but soon the door and the single window were covered enough that they'd have some warning before anyone tried to get in. True to his word Jake settled down with his back against the wall just close enough to the fire that he could feel its warmth licking at his face and neck. He closed his eyes, gun in hand, and tried to ignore the presence of the other person in the room. He fell into sleep remarkably quickly, but not before his eyes opened for just a second to check on her, to make sure she wasn't the one preparing to pull a gun on him in his sleep. It was an old habit taught from experience.

He caught her sitting with her feet tucked beneath her, a hand rubbing at her shoulder. She must have hurt it, he thought to himself before closing his eyes. Remembering the various falls and collisions he'd been through himself in the last few hours he realised she too was bound to have a few knocks and bruises. Did they heal just as quickly as being damn-near cut in half? He briefly considered asking what was wrong.

" _Screw that._ " he told himself firmly. " _Don't get yourself tied up with her. She's doing a job, you're earning yourself a nifty little pay-off. That's all it needs to be."_

Jake fell into an uneasy sleep. A voice he knew too well called to him as he tossed and turned, asking him for help, pleading for him to make the pain go away. In his dream he couldn't figure out why the sallow, sunken face of his sick mother kept shifting. Her long red hair growing shorter, lighter. Green eyes became blue and he saw a much younger woman reaching out to him. She was telling him things, saying things about the world... danger... his blood... as they ran from a horde of unseen creatures.

The only phrase he would be able to recall came to him clearly before he woke up. But it was not the voice of the agent sent for his blood that spoke to him, it was his mother.

_"Only you can save this world, Jake Muller..."_


	2. Chapter 2

Jake woke feeling far more exhausted then when he'd drifted off to sleep... and in a much fouler mood. His shoulders ached and he could feel a slight pounding behind his eyes which told him he had the mother of all headaches on its way. Sighing tiredly he glanced around the cabin. The glow of the fire was still going strong, he couldn't have slept for long.

"How's the storm coming along?" he asked, making Sherry jump as she stared into the orange flames dancing in the fireplace.

"Still bad. Are you okay, you only slept for an hour?" she told him, looking at the watch on her wrist.

Jake shrugged before flexing his shoulders and adjusting himself to sit upright against the wall. He felt stiff and uncomfortable and it was _not_ helping his mood. "I'm just fine."

Sherry didn't respond. She considered mentioning the way he had mumbled in his sleep, his forehead fixing itself into a deep scowl as he slept. Watching the way he rubbed at his bloodshot eyes and glared at the blocked door she guessed it probably wasn't the best time to bring it up. They sat in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes before Jake noisily got to his feet and began pacing the small floor space, his fingers playing with the hilt of his gun while he ran his other hand over the slight stubble on his chin. Sherry chose to ignore him. Her mission had been to keep him alive until he could be handed over to her superiors. It wasn't necessary to try and make friends, and he had made it quite clear that he wasn't interested in anything but money. She just had to get through the next few hours without letting him out of her sight.

"So... what exactly do your bosses want my blood for?" Jake suddenly asked, coming to stop beside the boarded up window and peering through the slight gap. With his back to her Sherry couldn't see the deep frown he wore, nor the way he pressed his fingertips against the thumping in his temple.

"I told you," Sherry explained patiently, "Your blood carries an antibody that would create a vaccine against the C-Virus. Without it thousands, maybe even millions of people will die."

"Like in Raccoon City?" Jake asked, glancing over his shoulder in time to see Sherry flinch at his words.

"Yes. Like Raccoon City."

Once again a silence settled between them. Without knowing why Jake watched the way Sherry brought her arms up to wrap around her knees as she stared hard at the floor. Her eyes filled with shadows not caused by the fire's flickering light. These were a different type of shadow. The kind he had seen only a few times before in men, old and young, who'd ever picked up a gun. Looking back to the window he caught sight of his own reflection and stared at the face looking back at him. "I didn't mean to..." he started suddenly, making Sherry lift her eyes to his taught shoulders.

"Mean to what?" she asked.

Jake shook his head and pushed himself away from the window. Turning, he slumped against the wooden wall and pressed his head against its hard surface. "I'm just trying to figure you out," he confessed, "You're pretty young to be in this line of work. You don't seem all that experienced... you're a weird choice to send into the middle of a battlefield like this."

Sherry rose one eyebrow, unsure if he was trying to insult her. From the way he held her gaze, unflinching and impassive, she guessed he was merely making an observation.

"How old do you think I am?" she asked, trying to direct the conversation to an easier subject.

"I don't know... about my age? Twenty? Twenty-one?"

Sherry couldn't help the small smile she flashed him as she chuckled softly to herself. "Nope. Try a little higher."

Jake's eyes widened slightly as his eyebrows rose. "Older? Older then _me_? No way."

Sherry laughed and shrugged, replacing her smile with a look of casual indifference. Her attempt to lighten the mood seemed to be working, she thought with relief. "Age is just a number. Besides, it's rude to ask a lady how old she is."

"Yeah, I've been told that." Jake mumbled with a roll of his eyes. He couldn't believe the girl was older then him. In his twenty short years he'd easily gathered more real-world experience when it came to monsters and mayhem, but she could hold her own, he'd give her that. "I guess it's your freaky superpower that got you the job huh? Must come in handy when the bullets start flying."

Almost immediately Jake knew he had said the wrong thing. He felt an unusual stab of regret as Sherry quickly broke the gaze he hadn't even realised they'd been holding.

"Mm-hm," Sherry responded with a slight nod of her head. She returned to staring back at the fire. Behind her Jake mentally slapped himself. He hadn't _meant_ to imply she was a freak...

Jake found himself making his way toward her and settled himself down at her side, stretching one leg straight out in front while the other remained bent so he could rest his elbow over his knee. "Look, I didn't mean to sound like such an asshole. Don't get me wrong, it _was_ kind of gross and creepy seeing you survive being practically cut in half..."

Sherry shot him a cold look. "Is this meant to be an apology? Because it sucks."

Jake tapped his fingers against his knee and thought. Was he apologising? That didn't sound like him at all. Why the hell did he care if he hurt this woman's feelings. A woman he'd known less then twelve hours. "Whatever." he shrugged, "I'm just saying."

It was Sherry's turn to roll her eyes. She didn't get him. Not at all. Within the first few seconds of their meeting he had fled a group of angry looking J'avo, leaving her to stop the oncoming slaughter before being able to dive to safety herself. He hadn't seemed to care that she could have been killed, nor that she'd landed in a crumbled heap on the floor. The guy was no gentleman, that was for sure. Yet he seemed to making some kind of effort to... what? Talk to her? Get to know her?

Sherry stole a glance at the man beside her. He was staring across the room, seemingly deep in thought. Over the years Sherry had been taught many skills, but one in particular came to her quite naturally. Her troubled past had forced her to grow up very quickly, which also meant she'd learned to understand the true nature of people from an unusually young age.

"I don't think you're an asshole." she blurted.

Jake couldn't help the small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Mostly because hearing her swear like that was like hearing a child curse. Amusing and wrong at the same time. "No? You don't even know me."

Sherry dipped her head in agreement, finally loosening the grip around her knees to bring her fingers into her lap where she wound them tightly together. "You're not exactly Mr Charming but... I've met worse people then you." she finished without further explanation.

Knowing it would pique his interest Sherry waited for Jake's inevitable question. She had no doubt he was already wondering who she might have crossed paths with worse then a mercenary like him.

As predicted, Jake cleared his throat and spoke. "Oh yeah?"

Sherry let her eyes close for a moment, feeling fatigue begin to come over her. She was right. For all Jake's bravado and smart-mouthed comebacks... he hid a very low opinion of himself beneath that devil-may-care attitude.

"Yeah. A long time ago."

Jake waited. He would not pursue an answer, clearly he had already expressed too much interest in this woman's life to have her thinking he actually cared. Still, it was steadily becoming obvious that Sherry Birkin was not all she seemed.

The atmosphere in the cabin was quickly changing. The tense silence between them was becoming more... comfortable. Jake pondered the strange events that had led him here so far. That morning he'd woken to a hail of bullets and spent his day fighting his way through BOW's until his unit had been approached by a woman looking to sell what she claimed would " _give them a rush like no other_." Jake had never been partial to drug use, but they were getting their asses backed into a corner and the guys he was with were beginning to loose their cool. It had been their decision to dose up with the 'supplements'... and they had mutated into the creatures that had been trying to kill them. Ironic.

His instincts on the woman had been right. She had been up to something, and he bet it wasn't just to infect his unit and bring down militia numbers. Jake guessed she had nothing to do with the Edonian government they were hired to fight against.

A voice suddenly brought him out of his thoughts. "Jake?"

Sherry was looking at him with a concerned frown on her face. Jake tore his eyes away. He didn't want to see the worry there, for some reason it bugged him. "What?" he snapped. Sherry seemed to fidget a little, her fingers twisting in her lap.

"I... owe you an apology."

Jake's brows shot up. "Why?" he asked, genuinely confused. Was there something she'd been keeping from him, he wondered?

"For what I said before... about the whole sleeping thing. I wasn't implying I didn't trust you or anything..."

A light pink flush had begun to spread over Sherry's cheeks which had nothing to do with the heat of the fire. Jake let his eyebrows return to their usual position and stifled a small laugh. She really thought he cared about that? Not that he appreciated the insinuation that he might be some sort of degenerate, Jake had never hurt a woman in his life... well, only those who'd asked. With that thought Jake leaned forward a little, invading the space between them. Sherry went very still as his eyes locked onto hers and an unreadable smile spread over his lips. He suddenly radiated an almost predatory aura and she wondered if bringing up that particular conversation had been such a good idea.

"Just so we're clear, if I was going to do anything to you - be it murder or anything else - you'd be awake and you'd have a fighting chance against me. I'm a mercenary, not a savage."

Sherry tried to hide the surprise which would otherwise be written all over her face. From the briefing she'd been given she had been led to believe this man would be capable of just about anything. His first known kill had been in his mid-teens after all. He'd accepted money from all sorts of people and causes without a shred of loyalty from one to the next.

Sherry hesitated, trying to figure out exactly what it was she was trying to say to him. For all the things he'd done, and she was sure there were plenty more not on record too, she didn't find him particularly intimidating. Even as he held himself between them clearly trying to dominate the space keeping them apart. Sherry could see something hidden deep in his determined gaze.

"I know you're not." she told him softly.

Her response was enough to have Jake pull back a little. Not only had she just told him she trusted him, kind of, but here she was thinking she actually knew him. What he was capable of. Who the hell was this woman?

"You're reckless, hot-headed and kind of arrogant... but we all have our faults." she continued with a shrug.

"Perhaps yours is that you're too trusting... or just naïve." Jake offered his own assessment with indifference, yet inside he could feel himself beginning to relax. He was taken aback when Sherry laughed quietly and nodded her head in agreement.

Jake felt the urge to let out an exasperated sigh. He had the feeling she was getting to know a lot more about him then he was about her... and that was beginning to annoy him.

"So tell me more about Raccoon City." he told her, his voice demanding as if trying to coax the truth from a dishonest child. Sherry shook her head with a wry smile, she'd been expecting more questions about her past. It was something she never discussed with anyone except Claire. Even when she had been questioned by the various doctors and officials who were supposed to be taking care of her she'd never gone into great detail. Yet for the first time, while sitting in front of a dwindling fire on the side of a snow covered mountain that was bound to be swarming with J'avo once the storm cleared... she decided to be honest.

"I was just twelve years old when it happened..."

Jake had listened to her story in silence. In his mind's eye he could see this woman as a little kid, cowering from the monsters she'd probably only thought existed in horror stories, hungry for flesh and unwavering in their desire to consume her.

She'd spoken without tears or sorrow in her voice. The only time Jake thought he'd heard any real emotion had been when she'd mentioned her parents. His heart had skipped a beat for some reason when she spoke of her mother, his own shadow of sadness swimming to the surface before being pushed back down with well practised skill.

"So you escaped all that just to be locked up and experimented on for the rest of your life." Jake stated with disbelief. The Edonian government had been well known for its desire to keep its people living in a state of poverty and fear, but Jake found the idea of a government wearing the face of a friend to its people keeping secrets like this... torturing a helpless little girl... it was reprehensible.

Jake shook his head to clear the thoughts from his mind. "But you're working for them, right?" he asked.

Sherry nodded slowly. "They made me an offer... to let me live a normal life as much as possible, but they still needed to keep me under surveillance. So they gave me a job."

"They put you in the firing line," Jake corrected her, his voice laced with an anger he didn't quite understand, "They're using you."

Sherry avoided his gaze and began to chew nervously on her lower lip. She knew. She had known the moment they offered her the very hint of more freedom. But it had been the price she had to pay. And at least she could do some good, like she was now. Jake's blood would save countless lives, and that would be down to her keeping him safe.

"You almost sound like you care." Sherry told him quietly, hoping the realisation would stop him chasing the subject.

Jake slammed his hand hard on the floor, making Sherry start. His expression was dark, filled something dangerous and threatening. "Is that what they're going to do to me too, huh? Lock me up like a lab rat?

Sherry scoffed, pulling herself to her feet she stood over Jake with her hands planted firmly on her hips. "That's all you care about, what's going to happen to _you_?"

Jake blinked up at her.

Yes. Yes he did not want to go walking like a fool into the hands of a bunch of narcissistic scientist types waiting to poke and prod at him for the rest of his life. But that wasn't the only reason for his rage. This woman was smart. Sure she'd been handed a shitty lot in life, Jake could relate to that. But here she was just... just _taking_ it. Jumping to his own feet Jake met her hard stare with his own and filled the gap between them so that the finger he pointed at her was almost touching the tip of her nose. "You've got the chance to do anything you want, you could run. Find some place to lay low and take control of your own damn life-"

Sherry swatted his hand away with the back of her own and clenched her fists. "Maybe. But then what? Where will I go when the C-Virus starts to infect the planet Jake? It might not kill me, it might not affect me at all, but when this world is full of mutants and monsters I think I just might regret not doing everything I could to stop it from happening."

"Even if it means giving up your own life, your freedom to do what you want with it?" Jake shot back. Her nobility and loyalty were ridiculous in his eyes. "What happens after? Do you go back to your cage where they turn you into even more of a freak!"

It took all of Sherry's control not to hit him again, and Jake could see it written all over her face. He didn't care. If the girl was stupid enough to let someone walk all over her like they did it then maybe he'd been putting a little too much faith in her.

" _They_ didn't turn me into a freak." Sherry told him, her voice shaking as much as his balled up fists. "If you had listened to what I'd told you then you'd understand... it was my father. My father did this to me... it wasn't his fault exactly but..."

Jake frowned. Was she trying to tell him her father, the man involved in the G-Virus development, had experimented on her too? No... she'd used the word _infected_ when she'd told him what happened...

"It happened after your father changed..." he realised. Sherry nodded.

"Those friends I told you about, they saved me. Gave me the cure before it was too late but... the virus still had an effect on me."

Jake had lowered his hand as Sherry spoke. She may have escaped the City, the nightmare, but she was still scarred by it in more ways than one. Could he really blame her for wanting to stop it from happened again? Perhaps he was wrong... just because he had lived by his own sense of self-preservation since his mother had died didn't make it the right way to live. Here was someone who had taken the crappy hand given to her and moulded it into something she could live with. Even do some good with.

Jake didn't say anything when Sherry turned her back and walked away, only able to reach the furthest side of the room to put some space between the two of them. Jake ran his hand over his short hair and took a deep breath. He was not used to having to be humble, but he would give it a shot.

"I'm sorry I flipped out on you," he began, probably not sounding quite as genuine as he felt. Sherry's back shrugged at him from across the room. Jake rolled his eyes to the ceiling and sighed. "I mean it. What I said... that was _my_ shit I was talking about. I just... it bothers me to see someone being weak-" He held his hand up as Sherry spun and opened her mouth to argue. "Which _now_ I know you're not. If anything you're... hell, you're a lot stronger then I am. If I were you I'd have jumped ship at the first chance I had and gotten my ass someplace hot and sunny to live out the rest of my life."

Sherry's furious expression melted into mild bewilderment as he spoke before softening a little. Her eyes were still glowering with irritation until he raised both hands, palms open in a surrendering gesture, and tried to smile.

"Sorry."

Sherry bit the inside of her lip and contemplated staying mad at him. Even as she considered it she could feel the animosity slowly begin to melt away as she nodded her head in acceptance of his apology and glanced about the cabin, unsure of what to do next.

"How about we forget this whole conversation and start again," Jake offered, lowering his hands as he offered one out for her to take. "Hey, I'm Jake. Sometimes I can be an asshole and apparently my blood can save the world."

Sherry stared for a moment before allowing herself the slightest of smiles, she moved back toward him and took his hand firmly, her eyes boring into his as they held the shake for a few long, silent moments.

"I'm Sherry Birkin. I'm going to save _you_."


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm Sherry Birkin. I'm going to save _you_."

Jake couldn't help the laugh that escaped him in the face of her audacity. "Save me huh? I'm not used to playing the damsel in distress, but okay."

Sherry's smile beamed at him as the tension that had been between them from the moment they met began to disappear. Neither had even noticed until Jake looked down at his hand and realised it was still tightly clasped around Sherry's. His mind told him to pull away from her grip. It was weird, he thought, he was just standing there holding onto her hand...

Except that Sherry had noticed too... and she wasn't letting go either.

Jake was no stranger to situations like these, and yet the moment felt completely alien to him. Five minutes ago he hadn't had any interest in this woman besides the fifty million promised to him. So why he just stood there, staring back at her without a smart-mouthed remark or smooth chat-up line ready to fall from his lips, he couldn't quite figure out. It was as if their little truce had taken him off guard for a moment, leaving him vulnerable to feeling something other than quiet mistrust.

It was Sherry who moved first. Her shoulders rose as she took in a slow, unsteady breath. Jake found himself fascinated by the way her lips parted just slightly as she prepare to speak. Her eyes, shining a little more brightly than normal, suddenly moved from his face and darkened into a confused frown as they travelled to the door.

That was when Jake heard it too. The crunch of footsteps in the snow. He barely had a moment to think when he tightened his hold on Sherry's hand and pulled her against him, wrapping an arm tightly around her shoulders as they spun just in time for him to cover her from the explosion that was the side-wall being blown from the cabin. Wood and smoke filled the room, hitting Jake's back and stinging his eyes and throat as he paused for just a few seconds to shake off the pain before snatching his gun from his side. Turning to open fire he noticed Sherry had already followed his lead. Together they took down the first rush of J'avo with ease. Sherry looked to Jake questioningly and waited for his signal. Run or fight?

A volley of gunfire gave them no time to think. With a kick the table was quickly overturned, offering enough cover for Jake to pull a flash grenade from his belt and pull the pin with his teeth as they both dived behind it.

"Get ready!" he told her as he released the explosive into the snow. Bracing themselves they ran through the aftermath, firing rapidly at what was left of their attackers.

"Um... Jake...!" Sherry cried over her shoulder. Jake spun to find her staring wide-eyed at a huge, white tide of snow quickly gaining speed as it travelled down the mountain straight toward them.

"Go!" Jake bellowed, grabbing Sherry by the hand and dragging her toward the closest empty snowmobile. Jumping aboard he felt Sherry slide behind him and take a firm hold if his middle. Kicking the vehicle to life Jake charged as quickly from the cabin as it would allow, easily dodging the confused and separated J'avo still attempting to capture them.

"I don't think this is a good idea!" he heard Sherry shriek behind him.

Jake scowled, "You got a better one!?" he retorted through clenched teeth.

"It's just going to keep coming, we need to get to higher ground!"

Jake hissed under his breath. There was no way they could find safe ground in time... unless...

"Hold on!" he shouted over his shoulder before veering sharply to the side. He could see it in the distance, a dark opening in the mountain's side...

"Jake, what're you-"

"Just trust me, okay!"

Jake hit the throttle, trying to ignore the sharp sting of the cold air on his face and exposed fingertips. He remembered these mountains well. The tunnels had been set up to smuggle weaponry into the country for the militia. If he was right about their location, the tunnel should take them to a town on the other side... else they were going to end up just another pair of frozen bodies left on the side of the mountain, but he decided that was the sort of thing best _not_ mentioned to Sherry for the time being. Perhaps _after_ she'd thanked him for saving their lives.

The mountain grew closer, and so did the avalanche. Jake grit his teeth he fixed his eyes on the approaching opening. Just a few more seconds... just a little further...

The snowmobile hit a patch of ice hidden by the cave's shadows, spinning wildly out of control just as they made it through the entrance. Jake cursed, trying to pull the thing back into control. They slid until they collided with the wall, throwing them in a wide circle and tossing them both to the hard ground in a messy heap of tangled limbs before their escape vehicle rolled to a stop.

Jake opened his eyes. He had managed to dive as they'd been thrown, taking Sherry with him while she clung to his back. He could feel her carefully moving off him, breathing shakily as she placed a hand on his shoulder and helped him turn. Jake moaned loudly. _Everything_ was beginning to hurt. But he couldn't feel anything broken or missing, so he'd take it as a win for the day and be grateful.

"Are you all right?" he heard Sherry ask, sounding winded.

Jake nodded, wincing when his neck and shoulders protested against the move. "Maybe a little whiplash. Jesus..."

Sherry placed a hand around his chest and helped him sit up against the cold cave wall before flicking on the light of her ear piece. "Sorry," she muttered, as Jake blinked in the sudden glow now beaming at his face. "You've got a nasty cut on your head... can you move everything okay?"

Jake flexed both his arms and legs, which were sore as hell but fully functioning, before nodding. "Check. Can't you dim that thing?"

"No, but here..." Sherry fumbled with the tiny machine and pulled it from her ear. Placing it on the ground so its light shone just enough for them too properly see each other. Sherry had already removed her gloves and was carefully trying to clean the blood Jake now realised was streaming down his cheek and onto his jacket.

"Damn..." he grumbled, his fingers coming up to inspect the damage, only for Sherry to swat them away.

"Don't touch it, your hands are filthy."

Jake rolled his eyes, "All right _mother_. I can deal with a little graze you know." Honestly, he was mostly annoyed at the idea of being nursed by the frustratingly uninjured woman before him.

"It looks like it might need stitches. Did you use up all your thread when you fixed my coat?" Sherry asked. Jake answered with a frustrated grunt as Sherry pressed the piece of cloth she'd been using to mop up the blood over his wound. She paused before taking Jake's own hand and moving it to his cheek, "Press and hold. You know the drill. That's enough Doctor Sherry for now I think."

"I much prefer Nurse Sherry." Jake tried to grin, only for said "nurse" to shoot him a slightly harassed look before shaking her head tolerantly as she pulled out her phone.

"The entrance is blocked by the avalanche. Do you even know where these tunnels lead? I can't get the GPS on my phone to work."

Jake nodded. The tunnels had been used exactly for that reason. No communication could get in or out, so if you didn't know the place like the back of your hand you probably weren't getting out before you froze to death. It kept their stash of guns and money pretty safe. "Yeah. We follow this tunnel for about half a mile and then it splits off. You go right from there."

Sherry slid her phone back in her pocket, looking tired for the first time since they'd met. "Half a mile? That's not too bad."

Jake pulled the cloth from his face and inspected the large red stain already soaking through before he decided to break the bad news. "It's more than half a mile super girl..."

Sherry visibly deflated before him, "More?"

"Yep. I guess we should get mo...ving..."

Sherry quickly shot forward as Jake attempted to bring himself to his feet, only to sway and fall back against the wall whilst almost hitting the back of his head against it. Her arms wrapped themselves around his chest and pulled him away from the concussion he was about to give himself, only to pull her off-balance and send her tumbling ungraciously into his lap as his legs gave way. Jake lifted his hands in the air innocently as Sherry clambered over his knees, a little offended when she practically threw herself across the cave to get away from him. He rose an eyebrow at her dishevelled state as her cheeks turned pink.

"Jeez, I don't bite," he muttered, trying to sound amused.

Sherry nodded and dusted herself off as nonchalantly as possible. "I was just worried about hurting something."

Jake stared before chuckling to himself. The girl was almost depressingly repressed, he decided. It was almost fun to watch as she waited for him to make another attempt to stand and hesitantly held out her hand. Jake waved her away, managing to make it too his feet while only feeling a little woozy.

"Perhaps you should take point." he suggested.

Sherry shook her head. "I'd rather not have you behind me... since I need to keep an eye on you with that head wound, I mean," she stammered. Jake had to fight to hide the smirk. _Something_ had gotten under her skin, that was for sure.

"Of course. What else would I be doing behind you?" he asked innocently.

Sherry picked up her ear-piece and reattached it without replying, yet the stiffness of her shoulders and the sudden formality in her voice told Jake she knew what he was doing. "Let's go. We're wasting time."

Jake gestured with his hand for her to pass and tried to smile as politely as possible, "After you, Agent Birkin."

Sherry either forgot that she wanted to keep him in her sight or simply didn't care as she almost broke into a run as she stepped around him. Jake let her gain a little space between them before following and tried to keep his eyes fixed on the small orb of light leading the way, contemplating why he had decided to tell Sherry to turn right at the tunnel's end when the left turn would lead them to the nearest town in almost half the time...


	4. Chapter 4

Sherry felt her fingers tighten around her gun. Her nerves were beginning to feel worn and ragged as she and Jake slowly made their way through the seemingly never-ending tunnels. From behind her Jake offered a few instructions whenever they approached a turning point or particularly treacherous area to navigate their way through. She had to admit his memory of the tunnels was impressive. Without the small light of her earpiece she wouldn't have known up from down in the darkness.

"All right, now put your hand against the wall just in front of you. You'll feel it smooth out in a few moments..."

Sherry did as she was told. Beneath her gloved hand she felt the rough texture catch and snag on the wall before suddenly stopping and flattening out. "Now wh-" she began, only for her feet to suddenly slip from beneath her and send her crashing to the floor. Her lower half hit the ground with a thud, her head snapping back to follow had it not been for the hands that shot out and wrapped themselves tightly around her shoulders. Sherry cursed as her heart began to race.

"Careful. It gets icy along here." Jake chuckled, close enough that the hot air of his breath tickled Sherry's cheek.

Opening eyes she hadn't even realised she'd closed, Sherry looked up at Jake's amused expression. For a second she thought she saw a genuine smile on his lips before it melted into his usual arrogant smirk. She glared.

"You could have warned me!"

Jake cocked an eyebrow at her, his mouth thinning slightly. "I just did. And you're welcome by the way."

Sherry suppressed the grumble rising in her throat as Jake lifted her with frightening ease and set her back on her feet. Trying to regain some dignity, Sherry studied the ground in front of them. Silvery-white patches of ice twinkled back at her in the gloom. "Isn't there another way?" she asked hopefully.

Jake shook his head. "I'm taking us the safest route. Unless you want to dig your way through rubble." He pointed ahead of them, "We had to collapse some of the tunnels once."

"BOW's?" Sherry ventured a guess. Jake shook his head.

"Nope."

Sherry felt something heavy and sickening settle in the pit of her stomach as she imagined what may lay crushed beneath the heavy rock of the blocked tunnels. Shaking the image from her head, and the thought that the man behind her was callous enough to commit another man to such a death, Sherry moved forward. Carefully. She did not want to slip and fall... suddenly she did not want to ever feel Jake's hands on her again. Sherry assumed he must have sensed her sudden shift in mood since Jake left much more space between his body and hers as they ventured on. He couldn't, however, keep his curiosity at bay. "You ever kill anyone yet?" he asked bluntly.

Sherry almost spun on the spot to face him before almost slipping once more as her boots found yet another patch of ice. Instead she glowered at him over her shoulder and shook her head. "Not people. J'avo... BOW's..."

" _Used_ to be people." Jake pointed out.

Sherry forced herself to ignore the tightening of her throat as the image of her father flashed before her eyes; a monster she barely recognised. Perhaps, in some twisted way, his body ended up matching the true nature of who he was on the inside...

"I kill when I have to."

Jake slowly shook his head. "It'll happen eventually you know. People like us... doing the things we do. Best to get it over with, you'll see what I mean."

This time Sherry did spin to face him, only to find herself being firmly taken by the shoulders and pressed against the cold, wet wall of the cave. Jake cut her off before she could protest and brand him the psychopath he was beginning to sound like.

"You think you'd know..." he continued, "But it's not like in the movies. One quick stab, a bullet piercing skin and muscle and bone and then its lights out. Dying can take forever, even when it's just a few moments. You think you'd know if you were able to do that to another person."

Sherry blinked as the light from her earpiece illuminated his face. His eyes bore into her as his fingers tightened and the face of another man from her past came to mind. This was the first time Sherry had really seen the similarities between Jake and his father. They shared the same piercing eyes, his mouth pulled into the same tight line as he waited for her response. Sherry had met Albert Wesker a few times in her childhood and she had the same visceral reaction to that cold gaze she'd felt as a child. The urge to get away from Jake's grip was overwhelming, but she would not let him see how strongly his touch affected her.

"Trust me," she said slowly, "I understand what dying feel like."

The smile on Jake's lips was cold and lifeless. "No you don't. What can kill you?"

His fingers softened their grip and let go, but Sherry could still feel the ghost of them pressing into her. Sherry blinked up at him as he stepped back, regarding her with a closed expression. "You've got no right to judge me, or what I do." he said flatly before turning on his heel and disappearing into the darkness.

Sherry watched him go. Even as her heart began to settle back to its normal rhythm she realised it's quickening pace had not been solely from fear when he'd held her and stared so intensely into her eyes. Pushing herself away from the wall Sherry followed she tried desperately to ignore the confusing rush of thoughts now streaming through her head. Jake was so... mercurial. One second he would be teasing her, almost flirtatiously she'd dare to say. The next... she wasn't so sure he wouldn't be capable of killing her without a moments regret. But that niggling voice in her head that had seen something else in him back in the cabin, the one who told her there was something he was hiding, it wouldn't stop even with the knowledge that he definitely had blood on his hands.

Sherry began to follow, almost too afraid to speak but hating the oppressive silence.

"Is it much farther?" she asked quietly, hoping he couldn't hear the tremble in her voice.

"Why? Does it make you nervous being stuck underground with someone like me?" Jake shot back, his voice lined with disdain. Sherry pursed her lips until his words sank in.

"We're underground?" she stammered, lifting her head to look at the ceiling which dripped occasionally on her head. She shivered, suddenly feeling much more claustrophobic. Now that she thought about it she recalled a significant period of time when the two had been walking at a slight decline, but she hadn't realised it had taken them so far down.

"Well, duh. But no, not far now. And look forward dammit, I can't see a thing." Sherry did as instructed, her light illuminating Jake's back and throwing his shadow against the path in front of them. "It gets worse along here, hold onto me if you have to. I can't catch you from here."

Remaining silent Sherry did her best to keep herself on her feet, but as they continued she came to accept that holding onto Jake was the only way she was going to keep her balance. Her hand shook slightly when she reached out and took a fistful of his thick coat. "Won't you fall too?" she asked, grateful when he slowed his pace so she could keep up even when it meant she almost walked into the back of him.

He snorted, "Don't worry about me, I'm built like a tank."

Behind him Sherry rolled her eyes. "Fine. I won't."

The tension that had been present since Jake had shoved her against the wall was still lingering between them. Sherry felt her curiosity rising as she regarded Jake's hunched shoulders. She had every right to be disgusted by his stance on what was clearly murder... but she also understood that under extreme circumstances people could be pushed to do crazy things. Her thoughts wandered back to his remarks about the collapsed tunnels. Wetting her cold lips, she hesitated for a few moments before putting forward her question. "Jake... why did you blow up the caves?"

She couldn't quite bring herself to ask directly if, or why, he had buried people alive beneath its rubble.

Jake didn't even stumble when she spoke, but she did catch the glint of his eye when he glanced over his shoulder. For a while Sherry didn't think he was going to answer until he lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. "Them or us. They were scavengers, someone had tipped them off about our stash of weapons and they wanted it for themselves."

Sherry wasn't so sure if she felt any better knowing this. Was it worth such a horrible death, just for guns?

"They were... not terrorists exactly," Jake went on, his tone bitter, "but they were known for getting involved in other people's fights just to pick at the leftovers. Money, weapons... the women and children left behind."

"How is that any different to the Militia you were part of?" Sherry asked innocently before realising the full accusation behind her words. Jake stopped mid-stride, which meant Sherry really did walk face first into his back this time. He turned slowly and fixed Sherry with an unnervingly blank look. She had expected anger again, that same burning intensity from before... but he just regarded her silently as if contemplating something.

"I've done some questionable things for money," he said slowly, his voice so low it didn't even echo in the now widening tunnel, "I've killed because I've _had_ to, not because I enjoy it. And I don't go looting the goods or raping the women just because I can. I'm not-" he stopped, taking a short hissing breath before shaking his head a little. Sherry caught the slight tremble of his hand before he clenched it into a fist.

"We're almost there," he finished, his voice a carefully controlled monotone. Sherry merely nodded at him weakly, unable to find something to say. She hadn't meant to imply anything terrible. Perhaps she was still too naïve to be passing judgement, what did she know of the real world anyway, she thought sourly. Keeping her hand on Jake's back, knowing he'd misunderstand her reasons if she withdrew, Sherry studied the man before her with something other than the tired frustration and impatience she'd mostly felt toward him so far. She could feel her unease in his company fading as she began to feel something more like pity. Maybe she was better off not knowing the world as he did.

Sherry considered an apology, but somehow she knew Jake neither cared nor needed it. Deciding it was probably best not to go asking anymore questions she simply let him lead her through the darkness until a very dim sliver of light appeared in the distance. A sense of relief overcame her as they neared what she hoped was the exit, the icy floors melting away to form a much safer surface to walk on. Sherry let go of Jake's coat, noting the quick look he shot her as the loss of her touch against his back registered. She tried to match his look with one that said she wasn't afraid, yet his gaze lasted for too short a time for him to see - or perhaps he had chosen to look away and ignore her.

Her heart fell when she realised the light had come from a flickering fluorescent lamp fixed above a heavy looking steel door.

"I thought you said we were almost there," Sherry groaned.

Jake shot her a weary look and began turning the heavy red handle. "We are. We've just got to go through the mining shafts and we'll be right by the town."

Feeling slightly better Sherry moved to help him with the handle which seemed to have almost frozen shut. It grated against the metal, making Sherry's teeth clench as the door opened with a jarring squeal. Jake paused before speaking, "Ladies first," he said with a nod of his head.

Sherry walked through the door without hesitation only to freeze when she spotted what was waiting on the other side. Standing like a statue made of rotting, mismatched flesh was the creature that had chased them through the streets where she'd first located Jake. Buzzing around him - or _it_ \- were a swarm of fly-like beings lit up with an electric blue light emanating from their middle and tails. Jake took her by the shoulder, forcing her to her knees and behind the cover of a pile of rocks which had crumbled from the wall.

"Shit," he hissed.

"Can we sneak by?" she asked, her eyes searching the large room. It consisted of metal poles holding the roof up, some equipment that looked in bad shape, and not much else beside empty metal carts. She saw Jake shaking his head from he corner of his eye.

"He's standing right in front of the door we need to get through."

"Can't we go back?"

"I guess we'll have too. Damn it, it'll take hours to go all that way agai-"

His whisper was cut off by a short, sharp ringing sound. Sherry paled as she fumbled for the phone in her pocket. Typical, she thought as the monster in the middle of the room let out a heart-stopping howl. Trust her to get reception back on her phone _now_.

"Too late!" Jake snapped as she disconnected the call, not even looking at the name flashing up at her. Jake had already withdrawn his gun and jumped to his feet, running straight for the charging mass of metal and torn flesh.

"Jake!" Sherry cried as he slid with ease beneath enormous booted feet, firing all the while. His bullets seemed to bounce of the creature like they were nothing. Sherry, however, was watching the swarm now gathering above them. Raising her gun she took aim, taking down each buzzing overgrown fly as they ducked and dived until they littered the icy floor. Jake had already made it to the door, his hand slamming down on the lock. Sherry stared in disbelief as she realised he was going to leave her there.

The door opened... and Jake ran in the opposite direction, still shooting and cursing at the monster on his tail. "Go! Now!" he ordered.

Sherry moved, sprinting for the door while the coast was clear. As she reached her goal she turned to fire off an assault of her own only to have Jake appear beside her and drag her through the doorway. "Keep running!" he demanded, never letting go of her arm.

They moved quickly, hearing the walls crack as their pursuer struggled to force its large body through the doors. Jake stopped, nearly dislocating Sherry's arm from the sudden change in pace as his eyes fell upon a pile of old containers. Without hesitation he lifted the top of an empty bin and pulled both their bodies inside, carefully lowering the lid just as thunderous footsteps and a distorted shadow passed them by.

Sherry felt her knees shake as she sat in a crumpled mess, pressed against Jake's body while he waited silently for the sounds of angered wails to disappear. Once she realised she had been holding her breath she let it go with a sharp gasp. Jake turned his head to look her over. She seemed fine, just shaken as the adrenaline coursed through her body.

"I think he's gone..." he said cautiously, "But let's give it a few minutes."

Sherry nodded, glad to be able to catch her breath as she brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. They sat in silence until she turned to rest her cheek against her knee and fixed Jake with a look of gratitude. "Thank you," she told him.

Jake blinked at the her before shrugging. "I've earned my fifty million, wouldn't you say?"

Suppressing the need to roll her eyes Sherry opted for a wry smile. "Maybe..."

Jake smirked. Call him crazy but, even after all the crap they'd been through so far, he had the strangest feeling that she was beginning to warm up to him.


	5. Chapter 5

The minutes began to pass painfully slow as Jake realised just how little space there was in their chosen hiding place. Especially when Sherry attempted to shift her position slightly, losing her balance and falling against Jake's side. Already crouched and leaning against the wall of the bin Jake was able to hold her steady before she made too much noise and gave away their position. It wasn't until Sherry looked up at him with narrowed eyes and flushed cheeks that he realised exactly where his hands had landed in order to catch her.

"Hey, keep your hands to yourself," She hissed.

Jake let go immediately, trying to keep the offended scowl from his face as he rolled his eyes. "You're the one rubbing up against me. Besides, what makes you think you're my type?" he quipped.

Sherry rolled her eyes. They both knew it had been an accident. Plus she was wearing enough layers that there was little chance Jake had actually managed to feel much, but instead of apologising for the insinuation Sherry turned her face away and grumbled under her breath.

"You know, I'd shoot you if I didn't need you alive."

Jake couldn't help but chuckle. "Come on super girl, we could die any second. What's a quick fumble between partners?"

Sherry felt her face grow hot as her cheeks began to flush. Part of her wanted to tell Jake exactly where to go. He wasn't the first guy to assume that the petite blonde was little more than a pair of pretty blue eyes and a cute smile, but he _was_ the first she hadn't kicked in the balls for pushing his luck. Glancing to her side she caught the smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"Since when are we partners?" She asked, raising one thin eyebrow in an uncanny resemblance to Jake's default sarcastic expression.

Jake exhaled through his nose impatiently as he stared through the small crack at the dark cave outside, "Can't you take a joke blondie?"

"My name is _Sherry_."

The sound of heavy footsteps suddenly charging toward them was all she needed to know that her voice had carried much further than she intended. Jake slipped the safety off his gun, his legs bracing themselves as the beast flew past them. Jake looked at her with silent anger as Sherry kept her expression blank. It wasn't just _her_ fault. If he wasn't being such an infuriating jerk then she wouldn't have lost her temper...

"You wanna just send out an open invitation next time?" he muttered once the coast was clear.

Sherry bit her lip, not trusting herself to respond.

"Let's get out of here, I'm done playing hide and seek." Jake instructed, lifting the lid and jumping free without even waiting for Sherry's response. On slightly shaky legs Sherry followed, glad Jake at least had the decency to hold the lid open for her to climb out. He surprised her even further when his open hand suddenly appeared in front of her. Sherry looked up and carefully studied the empty expression on his face.

"Well? You gonna take all day?" Jake asked, rolling his eyes.

Wishing her legs would stop trembling Sherry took the hand begrudgingly, holding it loosely as Jake kept her steady until her feet were on the ground. He let go the second she was beside him and turned his back, closing the lid softly and once again withdrawing his gun. Sherry couldn't help but feel confused. How could he be such an ass and yet kind of... nice... at the same time?

Money. She was his meal ticket, she reminded herself. There was no point looking for anything deeper in that head of his. He had the heart of a mercenary after all.

Sherry stared at her own weapon as she forced herself to remember these things... and not to think about the look in his eyes back at the cabin after she'd talked about her father, nor the way he'd caught her as she slipped in the icy caves or saved her life by distracting their enemies... none of these things meant anything.

"Let's go... _Sherry_." Jake told her quietly, striding past with his gun raised. They moved in silence, careful to avoid the bugs still flying around them. Eventually they came to another heavy door, one Jake opened with ease this time, behind which was what they assumed was the source of the power supply for the mine. Electricity crackled through the air, the bright sparks only outshone by the many floating bugs that had gathered in groups around the pylons.

"Shit." Jake spat, "There's no other way around."

The pair of them knelt behind a crumbling wall and eyed the exit on the other side of the room.

"Could we distract them?" Sherry thought out loud.

"Not without them calling that big son of a bitch. They must be his watchdogs." Jake replied, scanning the ceiling thoughtfully.

Sherry looked up, curious as to what had caught his attention. Above them was what appeared to be a scaffold running from wall to wall across the room. Metal beams were buried deep in the walls and roof, obviously designed to keep the mine from caving in. Sherry looked back at Jake, who was watching at her expectantly.

"Well?" he asked, "It's our only way across."

Sherry shook her head slowly, "You're insane. You know that, right?"

Jake laughed quietly to himself. "How do you think I've kept myself alive so long? After you." he told her, gesturing at the rusty looking ladder protruding from the wall behind them. Sherry holstered her gun and shook her head. Jake may have been insane, yet she was the one following him. So what did that make her?

Choosing not to dwell on it Sherry removed her gloves and tucked them in her pocket. Her hands gripped the cold steel and she tugged once just to make sure the whole thing wouldn't come crashing down. It held. Reluctantly she began to climb. She could hear Jake behind her, in fact she could feel him just below her feet and suddenly realised the view he'd have should he look up.

"Keep your eyes front and centre down there, you hear?" she told him, wondering if this had been the very reason he'd insisted she go first. That, or so he knew the structure was sound before crawling across it.

"You think pretty highly of yourself, don't you?" Jake responded with a snort.

Sherry couldn't help her own little smirk as she decided to fight fire with fire. "Hey, I'm guessing it's not often you get such a great view to stare at when you're fighting for weeks with your platoon... unless your tastes aren't for..."

Sherry cringed as she suddenly realised she hadn't considered that Jake genuinely might not be the slightest bit interested in _her_. He _had_ said she wasn't his type. She fought the urge to look back at him and lost. Jake was looking at her with slightly raised eyebrows and a knowing smile on his face. His eyes lingered on her uncomfortable expression before slowly travelling down her back...

Sherry felt her heart skip a beat as the look sent shivers up her spine. She'd had plenty of people staring at her before while wearing far less during her time in captivity, yet she'd never had the sensation of someone's eyes feeling like a physical touch.

"I guess the view's not so bad." Jake said nonchalantly, suddenly lifting himself further up the ladder. His face was now in line with her calf and Sherry knew the move had been on purpose, to throw her off guard and to invade the space between them just to see what he'd do next. Sherry had to admit she was finding his unpredictable nature kind of exciting when he wasn't bordering on terrifying.

She _really_ needed to make more of an effort to interact with people, she chastised herself as she lifted her chin and stared at the ceiling while forcing her hands and feet to continue climbing.

 _"He's your mission."_ she told herself sternly, " _Do not let him get under your skin..."_

Maybe it wasn't Sherry's skin she wanted him to get under.

The sudden involuntary thought was enough to make Sherry miss the next step as her foot slid beneath her. She gasped, just remembering to keep silent as she felt her stomach lurch as she dropped, grabbing the ladder tightly with both hands and hitting her cheek hard on the metal. Her feet dangled free as she realised that once again a pair of strong hands had wrapped themselves around her, holding her steady as she caught her breath.

" _This_ is why I let you go first," she heard Jake whisper against her ear.

Sherry's eyes flew open in surprise. She'd slipped far enough to fall directly between Jake and the wall. His arm was twisted around her middle while the other braced them against the ladder. Her body was pressed against his and she could feel the strength of his chest and legs as they strained to stop them both from falling.

"I'm not so good with heights," Sherry suddenly mumbled, the lie falling from her lips with ease as her feet found their footing once again.

"So take it slow," Jake told her, all teasing forgotten as he watched the BOWs below them uneasily.

Sherry nodded. She needed to get a grip and stop letting Jake mess with her head. Banishing all thoughts of the man now following her closely, Sherry focused on simply lifting her arms and legs. Once they'd finally reached the top, crossing the beams gave her little time to think of anything else as she crawled on her hands and knees, her hair growing damp as the icy ceiling dripped on her head.

"You doing alright up there?" Jake asked suddenly as they reached the middle of the room.

"Just don't look down, right?" Sherry replied. _And don't look back,_ she added silently.

"You're doing good. Not far now."

There he goes again, she thought in confusion. He actually sounded genuine in his encouragement when only minutes ago he'd been mocking her. 

Reaching the opposite side of the room without incident, Sherry breathed a sigh of relief. The mine was beginning to feel a little too claustrophobic for her liking. The exit shone with a dull light below them just as she twisted her body, placing her feet back on the ladder-

The metal suddenly bent before falling, taking enough rock and ice with it to make a small hole in the wall. It hit the ground with an echoing clang as Sherry slid from her position on the beam, threatening to tumble after it as the mild hum of the bugs below them grew into a frenzied buzzing. She managed to pull herself back up, her hands gripping the metal poles as Jake threw himself toward her, lying flat on his stomach. He grabbed her coat and pulled, managing to drag her toward him as even more of the structure fell.

An ear-splitting roar filled their ears.

"Crap!" they both exclaimed, staring at the grinding drill beating its way through the wall behind them.

Sherry looked at Jake. They had maybe thirty seconds before that thing was in the room and they'd be trapped. He seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Let's get this over with," he told her, grabbing her hand as they moved to sit on the very edge of the beam. The drop below seemed to go on forever. Tightening his grip on her hand Jake called over the crashing and buzzing echoing around the room. "Don't tense up when you hit the floor. Bend your legs and roll!"

"I know!" Sherry replied, "On three?"

Jake nodded.

"One..." she counted, "...two..."

"Three!"

Her body jerked as Jake leapt, pulling her body along with him. Sherry didn't have time to scream as the shock took the breath from her lungs. They fell, hands letting go at the last moment as their feet hit the ground. Sherry rolled as best she could as she felt her ribs crack and begin to heal instantly.

She fought to suck in one long breath, making her choke as her ribs and lungs burned with pain. She could taste blood in her mouth, yet the injuries had already begun to heal themselves. A low moan caught her attention. Jake rolled onto his back, one arm clutching his side as he grit his teeth and dragged in uneven, shaky breaths.

"We have to move!" Sherry shouted, hoping had done no more than knocked the breath from his lungs. Yet it would be nothing compared to what would happen if they didn't get moving _now_.

To her surprise Jake rolled on to his knees and unsteadily pulled himself up. His face was pale, but Sherry could see no fresh blood. His eyes widened at the sight of her and Sherry suspected the blood on her face must have looked a lot worse than it felt. "I'm healed. Let's go." she told him, grabbing his good arm and pulling him toward the door. The flying creatures dived at them as they ran while they fired off into the air around them, not having time to aim and just hoping they hit some of their targets.

They made it through as a slab of concrete came hurtling toward them, hitting the door Jake had just managed to kick shut, leaving a dent at eye level. They didn't have time to catch their breath. They ran, Sherry casting her eyes over Jake's slight limp and hoping he'd make it before the adrenaline left his body and the pain _really_ kicked in.

Eventually the pair could hear nothing more than their own footsteps and laboured breathing. Had their pursuer given up already? Sherry doubted it, but from Jake's ever whitening face and heavy panting she knew they needed to stop soon.

"There!" she cried, pointing at a huge vehicle obviously designed for drilling through the mines. It was large enough the two of them could duck beneath it and be hidden in its shadows. Sherry placed an arm around Jake's middle, wavering only for a second as his weight slumped against her. They fell against the machine's wheels, exhausted, bruised and shaken. Jake finally let out a long, curse-filled groan as he slid to the ground.

"Where's the pain?" Sherry demanded.

"Everywhere," Jake told her as he tried to lift his left arm above his head. He hissed, grabbing his shoulder in pain. "But I'm pretty sure the damage is up here."

"Are you sure your ankle's not broken?" Sherry asked, leaning forward to feel the injury and check for fractures. She'd have to find something to brace it with. She could only carry Jake so far...

Jake pulled his leg away and glared. "I know what a broken bone feels like," he snapped.

Sherry rocked back on her knees and frowned. "I'm trying to _help,_ " she shot back, "So how about you stop being such an ass for five minutes, otherwise I'm just going to leave you here for that thing to find!"

Jake glared, eventually relenting when Sherry stared right back, too exhausted and afraid of what was coming after them to put up with any more crap.

"I can't do anything about your ankle, we'll just have to avoid being seen from now on. But your shoulder..."

Sherry pulled her scarf free from her neck and moved closer. "We'll have to use this as a sling for your arm, now lean forward."

For once Jake did as instructed without any snide or witty remarks. Perhaps he was in enough pain that the wise-ass in him had finally been silenced. Sherry tied the scarf tightly behind his neck and adjusted the material to hold his arm as tightly against his chest as possible. "Can you still shoot with one hand?" she asked.

Jake fixed her with an insulted look, "There's a lot I can do with one hand, super girl."

"So much for no more wise-ass," Sherry muttered under her breath. "We must be near the town by now, right?"

Jake nodded, pulling himself upright as he used his good hand to steady himself, "Sure. Just a little farther that way and we are _out_ of this hellhole."

Sherry smiled with relief. Once they reached the rendezvous she'd have back-up waiting for her. Her first mission was almost complete.

Jake stood, with Sherry's help, and tested his ankle. The colour drained from his face once again but Sherry didn't say anything. Instead she propped him up as best she could against her much smaller body and made their way toward the dim glow of sunlight. The sense of urgency didn't leave time for sarcastic quips or uncomfortable exchanges between the two. Instead they fell into a rhythm, keeping up a steady pace. Jake's arm around her shoulder became more relaxed and Sherry even wound another arm around his middle to keep him upright without either of them feeling the need to comment.

The sunlight grew stronger, the smell of clean air and snow overwhelmed Sherry's already heightened senses, "Not long now..." she murmured.

"No need... to sound so... eager..." Jake tried to joke.

Sherry smiled, "The first thing I'm going to do when this is over... slip into a nice hot bubble bath."

Jake snorted, "Typical chick." For a moment the image of Sherry's slim, naked body covered in a layer of foamy bubbles appeared in his mind. Jake forced the image away. Nearly dying always left him hungry for two things. Drink... and sex. One to dull the bodies senses, the other to keep them alive. He kept his eyes forward. Why was it _Sherry_ that had to appear in his thoughts. Jake couldn't help feeling frustrated with his own subconscious. He had a plethora of memories he could choose from. So why was his brain now suddenly uncomfortably aware of Sherry's hold on him...

"Are you okay?" Sherry asked, growing concerned by the strange pained sounds escaping his lips.

"... You know me... built like a tank..." he told her.

Sherry smiled uneasily, "Fine, just take it slow. You're trying to move too fast."

Jake nodded once. Slow was good. Slow would give him just a few more minutes of having an excuse to lean on her. He tried to ignore the rising need to wrap both arms around this woman and tell her... what?

That he wanted her to stay with him? To hold his hand, to play nurse?

To look at him with those eyes... those eyes that actually seemed to show worry when he gasped in pain.

"No. We need to hurry." he found himself saying, picking up his speed once more. This was a dangerous road he'd found himself on, he realised. Not because of the bullets or the creatures relentlessly trying to kill him. Those he could handle in his sleep. The problem, he realised, lay in the knowledge that this slightly irritating but surprisingly brave young woman had actually done what no other person had managed for as long as he could remember and actually endeared herself to him. And that, Jake thought darkly, was just asking for a whole lot of trouble.


	6. Chapter 6.

They moved carefully though the rest of the tunnels, their injuries surprisingly minor considering the fall they had taken. Jake was sure his ribs were merely bruised and his ankle was thankfully able to take his weight for now. His shoulder ached but he soon realised the need for the mask-shift sling was unnecessary and had handed Sherry her scarf back. He didn't fancy his chances if they needed to flee again, but as long as they could remain unseen they could make it. As they moved in total silence, ears listening intently for approaching enemies, Sherry wondered exactly who had sent the beast after them. It had definitely been fixated on Jake, she thought. Only paying attention to her when she sent a flurry of bullets in its direction. Even then it shrugged off her assault. She'd need to inform her superiors of the the threat as soon as possible. Perhaps they'd have some new intel on who else knew about Jake.

"You know," came Jake's voice through the gloom, low and uneasy, "I can't help but think it's a little weird that whatever the hell that big behemoth was just suddenly... disappeared. Why stop? It could have broken through that door eventually..."

Sherry agreed, "Is there another way through these tunnels? A short cut to wherever this comes out?"

Jake shook his head. His breath curled before him as he spoke, the temperature in the tunnels had dropped drastically, "It'd take him too long to dig his way through the collapsed tunnel. I think..."

Sherry stopped in her tracks, dread crawling up her spine. "What if there _is_ another way... we can't take that risk."

Beside her Jake had stopped to lean against the wet, rough wall. His jacket snagging on the loose rocks. "Well there might be another way out from here, but you're not going to like it..."

"Whatever it is," Sherry told him with more confidence than she felt, "we have to try. We can't risk that thing getting to you before-"

"Before your bosses bleed me out."

Sherry paused at the bitterness in Jake's voice. He'd agreed to cooperate, to give a sample of his DNA in exchange for a generous sum. Was he having second thoughts? Sherry couldn't let that happen. If Jake decided to take off before they had what was needed then all hope would be lost. She couldn't fathom where this sudden change had come from. Sure he'd expressed some doubts while they were sheltering from the storm but she thought he'd come to his senses after she'd shared her story with him. The cost of doing nothing would be insurmountable.

"Jake, that's not-" she began.

But Jake didn't want to hear it.

"Bullshit!" he interrupted. He remembered the sight of her trembling body, her voice weak and gasping after he'd pulled the shrapnel of their crashed chopper from her spine.

_"Maybe it's your blood they should be testing for vaccines..."_

_"They did. More than I could stand..."_

He had to admit he hadn't thought that much on what he'd agreed to, other than his short outburst back in the cabin. The middle of a battlefield was full of distractions and Jake had only been thinking of the pay-out he'd secured up until that point. Once Sherry had began talking about her father he'd once again forgotten about his concerns. Now that the two had time to stop, to catch their breath, Jake wasn't so sure he'd made the right choice. He didn't even know who he'd made the damn deal with. For all he knew it was a ruse and he'd be just another science experiment, like Sherry...

"How can you be sure they won't do the same to me as whatever the hell they did to you. Or worse! I'm not some cute little kid they'll go easy on," He spat, his voice growing louder as it echoed around them. Sherry tried to warn him to be quiet, they didn't know what else was in these tunnels after all. Jake shook off her worried glances, his anger had replaced frustration now. Anger at himself for being so reckless? Or at Sherry? Was she just another liar, laughing at him behind his back as she walked him to his doom like a fool? Fifty million. Why would any government pay that kind of money to a man like him. From what Sherry had told him about her life he knew they were the sort of people to lock up children and twist them into their puppets, to take their bodies and their freedom.

An icy calm smothered the hot rage that had been fuelled by the realisation that he'd let his guard down with this woman. It was amazing what a pair of sweet blue eyes could make a man agree to, he thought without humour.

"Maybe this isn't worth it."

With that Jake pushed himself from the wall and began striding into the darkness, the pain in his body numbed by his anger.

There _was_ another way out, one Sherry would never find on her own. If Jake could loose her in the tunnels he could hightail it out of the city and be done with this whole mess. He could hear Sherry calling out to him, her footsteps echoing off the walls.

"You can't do this, don't you care that people will die!"

Jake growled low in his throat. He didn't care. _He didn't_ _care_. No one in his life had ever given _him_ a second thought, what did _he_ owe the world? Even his own mother had-

No. He wouldn't think about her. He'd tucked away all memories of her a long time ago and he'd be damned if he'd ever think about her again. "People die all the time," he snapped over his shoulder, "Besides, sounds like business is gonna be booming pretty soon."

He didn't need to see Sherry's face to know the look of horror that would be there. He knew 'asshole' was not the word to describe the way he was behaving right now. Hell, he didn't even know if he really meant what he was saying. But as the adrenaline left his body and thoughts of what awaited him in the town Sherry was headed for replaced it Jake couldn't help but have second thoughts about what he'd signed up for. Freedom had been the one constant in his life. Freedom to come and go as he pleased when he was just a boy since there was rarely anyone there to notice when his bed was left empty over night. He'd steal whatever he wanted to eat. Fight whoever gave him shit without the fear of consequences. There was no one to answer to when no one cared, after all.

Jake was far from stupid which was probably the only reason he wasn't dead yet. He knew how to read a situation, when to stay and when to get the fuck out. And this was beginning to feel like one of those _get the fuck out_ _while you still can_ moments.

Sherry was still following him, the light of her earpiece casting long shadows that stretched over their heads. Jake clenched his jaw and fisted both hands at his sides. She was not going to give up easily. He slowed his pace just enough for to catch up, panting heavily. Jake didn't give her time to catch her breath. He turned, closing the gap between them with one long stride.

"You're going to want to stop following me," he told her. His voice was barely more than a whisper, laced with a danger that made Sherry's blood run cold. For just a moment his eyes reminded her of his father. Whenever he'd visit their home Sherry would eagerly sit outside William Birkin's study, keen to have something to do for a while. To maybe even get to speak to another person for once. Her parents were often so busy it could be days before anyone said more than a few words to her.

But one particular day she had caught her father and Albert having a heated exchange of words. William had burst from his office, sending Sherry sprawling across the floor as she attempted to hide. He hated when she eavesdropped. But it wasn't her father that noticed her. Albert Wesker had knelt before her, reaching out and taking Sherry's chin in his hand. She'd felt so small in his grip, like he could crush her like a bug if he so chose. Sherry had held her breath and waited for the reprimand. Instead Albert had peered down the length of his perfectly straight nose, just as Jake was doing to her now, and smiled. It was cold. Empty.

"Little girls shouldn't go snooping where they don't belong," he'd said. Sherry still felt the fear those words had instilled in her. It didn't seem like much more than a warning, but Sherry had felt the threat instinctively. Looking to her father for help she only saw him shake his head. Disappointed, as usual.

Albert's face melted back to the much younger, scarred features of his son. Sherry had become so engrossed in her memory that she'd forgotten that Jake was now the one dangerously close to her. He gave off the same formidable aura. But she was no longer a lost, lonely child who could be so easily frightened.

"You want me to stop, you're going to have to make me," Sherry told him. Her voice was steadier than Jake anticipated. He'd expected to see her resolve waver at least a little. He had stopped men in their tracks before with just the right words and a look that thirsted for violence. But here she was, her eyes never leaving his. The thin line of her perfect mouth set in stubborn defiance. Jake couldn't decide if she was brave, or stupid.

"I mean it. I'm done with this shit," he hissed, "If you try and stop me... well, how long does it take you to heal a broken leg." The words left a bitter taste in his mouth. He realised he did not _want_ to threaten this woman. In fact, he didn't think he'd do much of anything to her even if she decided to keep following him. But he just needed to convince her he _would._

He really shouldn't have been surprised when he felt the gun press against his knee. Inwardly he kicked himself for not taking into account the fact that she too was armed. "Really?" he said, arching his eyebrow, almost daring her.

"I'd rather not shoot you in the leg Jake, it'll take twice as long if I have to drag your ass all the way to the rendezvous. But don't for a second think I won't do whatever it takes to stop what's about to happen to the world."

Jake ran his tongue over his teeth as he weighed up the woman in front of him. He was sure she'd do it. Her eyes were unblinking, her breathing steady as she readied herself for a fight.

"Okay, _super girl._ You win. But I want just one thing from you..."

Sherry gripped the gun tightly, her other hand ready to reach for her stun rod just in case.

"I want you to promise me that I won't end up some researcher's guinea pig. Can you do that?"

Sherry opened her mouth to respond but the 'yes' that had formed on her lips faltered. She was aware that she should lie. That right now was not the time to think about the fact that she couldn't really know for sure what would happen to Jake...

And somehow, Jake knew that.

"You didn't even ask, did you. What? You didn't think for even a minute that my blood might not be enough. That I might spend the rest of my life getting vivisected?"

Sherry tried to swallow as her heart thumped in her chest but her mouth had gone dry and tasted sour as she realised that Jake was right. She'd been given her orders and she was so keen for her first mission to begin that she didn't even question what could happen to the person she was sent to retrieve.

"You can't, can you." Jake finally took a step back, peering down at her with disgust. Sherry wanted to argue back, but for the first time she was filled with doubt. On one hand she knew the importance of Jake's DNA, the cost of letting him go now was unthinkable. But could she also condemn another human to the life she'd been so desperate to escape? She couldn't pretend that she really believed Jake would be allowed to go free.

"You're right," she finally croaked, lowering her gun slowly. "I can't promise you that, and maybe I can't force you to come with me. But... perhaps we could find another way."

Sherry wondered, could she do both? Save this man a torturous fate _and_ save the world?

"We just need your blood... so what if we don't go to the rendezvous. What if I take a sample myself and you can just leave..."

Even as she spoke Sherry questioned if she was doing the right thing. What if the sample wasn't enough and Jake was never found again. What if he died, his work didn't exactly come with a long life-expectancy. Or worse. What if someone else who knew of Jake's lineage planned to use him for their own gain. She knew there was at least one other person out there right now, hunting him.

Jake studied her from the shadows. He was almost certain this wasn't a ruse to get him to follow her. He knew liars well. Weighing his options Jake didn't want it to come down to a gunfight if he decided to refute her suggestion. Did he have it in him to shoot her? With her ability to heal it'd have to be one hell of a wound to slow her down long enough to loose her in the tunnels, plus he was still injured while she was in perfect condition.

He could knock her unconscious of course, if she didn't shoot him first.

Could he unload his clip into her legs?

Could she heal from a shot to the heart?

"I know a place we can go," Jake told her, deciding to take the non-violent path for a change. He was hurt, cold and tired. And if they stumbled across anymore BOW's she'd come in handy in a fight. That was all, he told himself firmly. He didn't _need_ her, but her could _use_ her. For now.

"Then it's a deal." Sherry spoke. It wasn't a question. Jake had to admit he admired her, just a little. She had balls.

"Just don't get lost," Jake replied, "We've got a long walk and it's going to get... tight."

Sherry swallowed nervously. Why did she feel a stab of regret at the glimmer in Jake's eye. Had she made the right choice? As Jake turned his back and placed a hand against the lower section of the walls, clearly feeling for an opening of some kind as he moved, Sherry wondered what Claire or Leon would have done. Would they be proud of her decision... or had she just condemned them all to global disaster.


	7. Chapter 7

The silence between them was different now. The strange, comfortable rhythm they had fallen into was gone. Jake's mercurial nature was enough to make her head spin, leaving Sherry feeling on edge in his presence. It made her breathing quicken every time Jake let out a frustrated hiss or shifted unexpectedly in front of her. He was still feeling his way along the wall when Sherry worked up the nerve to finally speak.

"What are you looking for?" She asked, glad she was able to keep the tremble out of her voice.

Jake didn't reply. In fact for the last few minutes it was as though he was refusing to acknowledge Sherry's very existence. _This wasn't good_ , Sherry thought to herself. How could someone's entire nature change so quickly? Jake had certainly been difficult at times but this was something different entirely. His teasing and casual aloof attitude had been replaced with a cold, almost threatening aura. He'd appeared to be willing to walk away from his agreement and leave Sherry wandering alone beneath the mountains. Not just that, he'd threatened to hurt her to do it. Or so he claimed.

Sherry needed to know which version of Jake was the real him. The man before her now reminded her chillingly of the one who'd sneered at her every time she tried to earn her father's attention. Was it possible for a person to become the spitting image of an absent parent having never even met them? There was something in Sherry's gut that told her this was not who Jake truly was. Nor who he wanted to be. She'd seen the way his eyes darkened when she told him about her past. He hadn't offered her words of pity, in fact he'd gotten mad. Sherry still didn't understand why he had cared enough to get so angry when he found out about her life after Raccoon City. Of course he'd been pissed that he might end up enduring a similar fate because of his blood, but he'd also told her she could run too. 

Sherry tried to imagine a free life... she didn't even know where to start. 

Jake certainly acted like he'd drop everything to save himself - including her - but something told Sherry that his conscious would never allow him to do so. Even as Jake finally responded to her question by flicking his hand in her direction, almost shooing her away like an irritating child. He was, after all, still here with her. That had to mean something.

"If you just tell me I can help you," Sherry implored. She was eager to leave these cold and wet tunnels behind them but she also realised she needed to know where Jake intended to lead her. If they weren't headed for the rendezvous then they needed somewhere safe to rest and gather supplies. She also needed equipment to take a blood sample and keep it safe until she could return to her superiors. The consequences of her decision to let Jake walk away would most likely be severe. She may have been about to throw away the only chance of freedom she would have, she realised with a mixture of sadness and dread. But what more could they really do to her?

"It's here," Jake grunted, pulling Sherry from her thoughts, "Give me a hand, would ya."

Sherry resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Oh, so _now_ he wanted her help. Instead she bit her tongue and knelt beside him. She could just make out a circular indent in the wall. Beneath her gloved hands she felt the rock tremble as she pushed. A crunching sound echoed around them as the wall seemed to slide from her grasp.

"Is that... a secret tunnel?" Sherry peered through the hole in the wall, the light from her ear stretched along what looked like a narrow, endless crawlspace. "Can you even fit through there?" she asked. It looked like it had been built for someone half his size, a child perhaps.

Sherry's stomach dropped at the thought when she remembered Jake's explanation for the mines use in the past. She'd seen case studies during her training about trafficking. Money, weapons, BOWs _and_ people. Including children. She opened her mouth to ask but quickly snapped it shut when she saw the wary expression on his face as he eyed the dark cavern.

Whatever thoughts were running through his mind he seemed to shrug them off as he responded without a hint of emotion, "It's been a while. Let's find out."

With that he ducked his head and crawled forward. The hole was slightly raised and Sherry realised they would be climbing, as well as crawling, to the exit. She hesitated as Jake worked himself onto his hands and knees and began to slowly move forward. Sherry hesitated, glancing around into the darkness before following Jake's example. She didn't have a problem with small spaces exactly, but she'd also never been trapped deep within a mountain. Stone beneath her fingers loosened and she felt cold water dripping through her hair and down the back of her coat as she carefully eased her way on. She couldn't help but picture the mounds of earth and snow above them. If the walls didn't hold there'd be no chance of getting out before being crushed. Sherry remembered the earlier passageway that had been deliberately collapsed, feeling nauseous as she was suddenly able to vividly imagine how it must have felt to be trapped beneath ice and stone.

Perhaps they should have taken their chances with the main exit and just hoped there was no ambush waiting there...

"So... what is this?" she found herself asking, needing something to distract her. 

"Our way out," came Jake's curt reply.

"Okay, but where does it lead?"

Frustration dripped from Jake's voice "Does it matter? It's this or taking our chances back there."

"How do you know about this route?"

Jake grit his teeth, an impatient whistle hissing between them. He wanted to avoid talking to Sherry as much as possible. He didn't want to give her the chance to talk him out of his decision to take off once she'd taken a blood sample. As far as he was concerned, he was doing his part to help. He had no reason to feel bad for taking care of himself. So what was with the way in his gut twisted every time she spoke? 

"I helped dig this place out, when I was a kid," he found himself saying. Perhaps he too needed a distraction from his thoughts as he found himself continuing to speak, "They used the younger ones 'cause we were faster, and small enough to get through with the excavation equipment. Plus... no one missed the ones that didn't come back."

Jake instantly regretted the words that fell from his lips. He'd never told anyone about those long, painful weeks. And now here he was, dragging up his worst memories. It must be being back in this place, he thought darkly. He rarely returned to places from his past. The ghosts never seemed to fade.

He was also grateful he was unable to see Sherry's face. He'd gotten to know her well enough that he was sure those big blue eyes would be wide with horror... and pity. He needed none of it.

"We got food and a bed at the end of the day," he added, "A place like this, you take what work you can. Not everything's all hotdogs and milkshakes like back in the Good Old U.S.A."

Sherry bit her lip to stop her retort. What did he think America was like? A fifties TV show?

"How old were you?" she asked, there'd been no mention of this type of work in his file. Sherry was surprised that something like child-labour would be excluded from his history. It would have helped, she thought, to work with this man if she understood him a little better.

She was slowly beginning to get a grasp on what made Jake tick. The rapid changes in mood, his reckless and distrusting nature... all signs of a traumatic, negligent childhood. Sherry also began to wonder more about Jake's mother. She'd been informed that he had joined the militia as his mother was sick, but after hearing Jake speak about his past she considered that there was a lot that Sherry did not know about his upbringing...

"What's with all the questions huh? Quit yakking and keep crawling."

And so time passed with only the sounds of their hands and feet scraping the rough floor, along with Jake grunting occasionally as he struggled more so than Sherry's smaller frame. As her body began to ache from being in such a confined space she desperately wanted to ask how much further they had to go but didn't dare speak again. That was until she heard a strange shuffling sound coming from behind her. She turned as best she could with her back pressed almost to the ceiling. What little light she had didn't illuminate much. She paused, listening intently. Perhaps it had merely been the shifting of the rocks.

Except she heard it again. Louder. Closer. She turned her head once more and opened her mouth to gain Jake's attention, but only a gasp of panic left her lips when she spotted something moving in the corner of her eye. Sherry pulled out her stun rod and clicked the button, the crackle of electricity getting Jake's attention before he heard the shrill cry of something inhuman.

"Jake, Go!" Sherry called urgently.

Peering over his shoulder Jake was able to make out the form of something small covered in shiny greyish skin. Larger than a snake with a flat skull and faceless except for the large, fang-filled mouth in its centre that hissed as Sherry sent a bolt of electricity through its body. "What the fu- damn it!" he spat. There was nothing he could do to help except get the hell out of the way. He began to move as fast as his body would allow, his ears ringing with the sound of their screeches echoing around them.

"You still with me?" he called back as he ignored the tearing of his skin against the hard ground.

"Yeah," came Sherry's muffled reply, "but they're not far behind us!"

"Shit," Jake cursed. The tunnel's incline was increasing, which he knew meant they were almost at the end. But it also made it even harder for them to move quickly. " _Just a little more, come on... come on..._ "

His fingertips felt the ground change. "Almost!" he called, hoping like hell Sherry was keeping pace. There wasn't much he could do for her if she fell behind.

The thought that it would actually buy him some time if she didn't make it crossed his mind.

Jake felt instant loathing for himself for being able to even think such a thing. But he wondered if he'd have been so disgusted with himself if the person behind him was just another unknown gun for hire instead of _her_.

"Finally!" he exclaimed as the tunnel evened out. After a few more moments the ground dipped and Jake tumbled forward in a mess of limbs, hitting the floor hard. He tried to call out and warn Sherry of the drop but she was already falling toward him. Instinctively he held out his arms just in time to catch the woman as she landed on his lap, straddling him awkwardly.

"Ow..." she mumbled, looking a little dazed. Jake spotted blood smeared over her brow. She seemed unsteady as Jake pulled her to her feet. He didn't have time to check for further damage as piercing screams echoed toward them, filling the now open cavern and sending a bolt of pain through Jake's head.

"Take this assholes!" he snarled, pulling something from his pockets as he tossed it into the open hole in the wall.

Even as the aching in her head made her vision swim Sherry recognised the detonator and realised what Jake intended to do. She didn't have time to ask whether setting off C4 whilst trapped beneath a mountain was a good idea, but Jake was already running back toward her. He fisted his hand in her jacket and pulled her alongside him. "Do _not_ stop!"

The screaming behind them increased, the slithering sound of their bodies clambering over each other was repulsive. Jake looked back as the creatures began to fall from the wall, there were so many... too many to try and fight by hand.

Sherry could finally see light in the distance, the smell of fresh air and snow wafting toward them.

"Now!" she heard Jake yell. His hand held aloft the detonator and time seemed to stop as Sherry braced herself for the explosion.

It felt like slow motion. The walls around them trembled, almost pulsating. Jake's hand was still firmly braced in her coat. His legs were certainly able to carry him a lot faster than hers and Sherry wondered for a moment whether he would let go and leave her behind.

But as something fell from above them, crashing just behind their feet, Jake let go only to grip her arm tightly. Sherry realised that Jake was a step behind her now, pushing her on.

The light grew, as did the thunderous crashing.

"When you get clear keep running!" Jake bellowed.

Sherry registered that he had said 'you' instead of 'we', but didn't have time to consider why as they finally broke free of the mountain's underbelly. Sherry did as instructed and did not allow herself to slow. She realised the crashing explosions had turned to a low rumbling, one she'd heard before when they'd escaped the J'avo's attack at the cabin.

An avalanche, she realised in horror. Only this time they had no choice but to escape on foot.

"To the side!" she heard Jake shout, although she couldn't see him she could tell he was no longer just behind her. Sherry angled herself so she was no longer running straight from the mountain, her eyes fell upon the sight of a gathering of trees... and the jagged ledge of a cliff-edge. "Do we jump?" she cried out over her shoulder, but Jake did not reply. Sherry stumbled, torn between stopping to look for him and knowing that just those few seconds of hesitation could end with her being swept away, buried beneath the snow. She didn't even know how far the fall was, or what was on the other side.

With her heart pounding in her ears and her eyes trying to catch some glimpse of Jake, Sherry accepted she had no other choice but to jump. The snow beneath her boots already felt like it was sliding away from her, like being ankle deep in a river whose pull was rapidly growing stronger.

Sherry had heard that your life flashed before your eyes before you died. She'd had many near death experiences since Raccoon City and as she leapt from the cliff she saw the hazy image of her parents faces before they melted into ones that were kind and filled with concern. Claire... Leon...

She hit the ground it a jolt. Pain shot up both of her legs and into her spine as she collapsed into the cold snow. Darkness pulled at the edges of her vision as she tried to roll over, but found she could barely feel her own body. She knew it would come back, she would heal. The roaring fall of the mountain seemed to be fading. Her eyes began to roll as she fought to keep them open but unconsciousness overtook her as her last thought was of the man who'd pushed her from the cave. There was no way he could survive that jump, if he'd even made it that far...


	8. Chapter 8

Jake had inexplicably found himself putting his body between Sherry and that of the falling mountain, as if he has any chance at all of protecting her from an _avalanche_. He had to admit it was an impulsive decision to blow the tunnels. But once he'd caught sight of how many of those glistening, snake-like creatures were slithering toward them Jake had calculated their odds of getting out alive to be pretty slim. They could have tried to outrun them but with the speed they were moving at he knew he couldn't take that chance.

Which was how he found himself now knee-deep in snow, being pulled along its path. Keeping just those few paces behind Sherry had probably cost him his chance at making it to the cliff edge. Sherry had shouted something back at him but he couldn't quite make it out. His legs were losing the fight to keep going and Jake accepted he was going to have to figure out another way to make it out. He remembered when he was a kid he'd been told that if he ever got caught in an avalanche to try and stay on its surface by swimming. If he was pulled beneath the snow he'd have no hope of digging his way free. Snow was heavier than people realised, it would be like being buried alive in concrete. He remembered the men laughing as they told the children who were huddled together for warmth. They'd seemed to get a kick at the horrified fear in their eyes.

Not for the first time in his life it dawned on him that Jake had worked with some real sickos in his time.

Using every ounce of frustration and anger to try and save himself from such a fate Jake began to fight as hard as he could against the snow. This was _not_ how he was going to die. His corpse frozen until spring to become a meal for the wildlife. It felt like he was falling for hours, time no longer had meaning. There was just crashing white and exhausted limbs. Eventually Jake realised he was being pushed toward the large expanse of forest that most Edonians avoided religiously. Edonia was a superstitious country, and there were stories about those woods. That they were filled with angry, vengeful beings. Jake would have laughed if he wasn't worried about being choked by the snow. They had no idea...

At least not until the BOWs had shown up in the city a few days ago.

Jake knew it was a long shot but his body was becoming too tired to keep fighting. As he was pushed toward the woodland he scrambled desperately, managing to wrap his arms around the first tree he could reach. He hoped it was strong enough to hold.

Eventually the fall of the snow began to wane. As it slowed before coming to a halt Jake collapsed, his arms falling uselessly. He was barely able to stop himself falling on his face. His body shook as relief flooded through him. He was alive. _Holy fuck_ he was alive. He'd done some crazy shit but riding a god damn avalanche was-

"Sherry!"

His voice was muffled in the snow. On unsteady arms he pushed himself up and tried to get his bearings. How far had be been carried? Had Sherry made it? He couldn't remember seeing her jump. He hoped the fall wasn't farther than he'd remembered...

Rocking back onto his knees Jake pulled his phone from his pocket with clumsy fingers. His map opened up, searching his location... "Come on you piece of sh- bingo!"

Quickly he tried to calculate how far he'd travelled as the blinking light told him exactly where he'd landed. He scanned the screen for the outline of the mountains, it looked like he had a hell of a walk back.

 _Gotta get up_ , he told himself. If they'd been trying to avoid walking into a trap before, they'd just advertised their exact whereabouts to anyone nearby. Jake didn't doubt there'd be more BOWs searching for them soon. Maybe even that giant freakshow whose mission it was to capture him. Jake had never felt so popular...

It occurred to him that what he was about to do might be hopeless. Walking all the way back to the cliff's edge.. for all he knew Sherry could be buried beneath his feet right now. Or the jump from the cliff could have been too high.

The image of her body pulling itself back together after their crash crossed his mind. Well, if she could survive _that_ then maybe...

Jake stood, brushing his hands over his jacket and shaking the snow from his body as best he could. His eyes travelled back toward the now silent mountain before glancing at the forest behind him. He knew if he kept walking there was a safe house only a few hours away. Hopefully his old bike was still there, hidden in the rotting garage. Sherry would probably assume he was dead. He knew people who could get him a new identity. He could disappear, stick with mercenary work and live the rest of his life...

Doing what... moving from place to place, alone, until he got too slow or sloppy and met his end for some cause he didn't even believe in? And what if Sherry had been right and the world would be overrun with BOWs, eventually there'd be no one left to pay his fee.

Jake huffed, running a hand over his short hair.

Alone was simple and uncomplicated. Peaceful even. The world did not care about Jake Muller so why, _fucking why_ , should he give two shits about what would happen to it.

" _I don't think you're an asshole._ "

Sherry's voice floated back to him. In the cabin, before all hell broke loose, they'd had what was probably the deepest conversation Jake had had in months. Maybe even years. The only discussions he usually had were about work and money. Women were easy, just ask them questions about themselves and tell them they were pretty. The conversation rarely went any further than that before they were distracted by _other_ things.

Was he really now choosing to try and do the decent thing? Again he looked back at the mountain, pulled out his gun and checked it was loaded. From inside his coat he pulled out a small container and rattled it hopefully. The sound from inside told him he had at least two of his healing pills left and even though he'd lost some of his gear he had enough to get him through for now.

He spoke out loud to no one in particular, his voice reverberating in the perfectly still air around him, "So what's it gonna be Muller..."

* * *

Sherry didn't know how much time had passed when her eyes finally opened. The sun was up, but not high enough for it to be midday. Maybe she'd been out for only an hour. Maybe twenty-four hours. How could she tell?

Tentatively Sherry wiggled her fingers and toes. When they moved, somewhat stiffly, she gave a sigh of relief. She knew broken bones could heal with ease but she'd never been paralysed before. Well, she thought, one to add to the list of weird things she'd had to endure in her life. Sherry carefully found her footing and looked up at the looming cliffside. She couldn't believe she'd jumped from there. It was something of a blessing that she hadn't been able to see the fall, she doubted if she'd have had the nerve if she'd known of the drop on the other side.

With that thought she remembered Jake. Had he followed her over? Spinning round her eyes searched the area surrounding her, it was littered with large trees. Piles of snow were scattered over the ground. Sherry began to frantically search, calling out as it occurred to her that if the fall had almost killed _her_ then...

No. She wouldn't think it.

Thrusting her hand into her pocket she searched for her phone.

"No... no no _no_!" she cried, realising her pockets were empty. How could she lose her phone! She had no idea where she was, no way of calling for help...

And Jake was gone.

It took all her strength not to curl up on the ground and scream. Her hands clenched in her hair as she tried not to panic. What did her training tell her to do. "Think, think..."

"Hey!"

Sherry jumped, her hand reaching for the gun that was thankfully still strapped to her side as she looked up. The voice that echoed down to her laughed.

"Jake!" she breathed, relief crashing over her as she spotted his figure leaning over the edge.

"You're not dead. Good work!" he called down, offering what Sherry could just make out to be a thumbs up. She didn't know whether to laugh or to cry with relief, "I think you dropped this!" he continued, waving something at her.

"Is that my phone?" she called up, incredulous. Had she hit her head that hard? She must be hallucinating. There was no way she could have gotten so lucky as so survive an avalanche _and_ have Jake locate her missing phone in the aftermath.

"Yup. Looks like we finally got a lucky break."

"You can say that again. Now... do I come up or..." Sherry was just realising that even though Jake had somehow found her, she had no clue where they were or how to reunite.

"Follow the cliffside, I can get down a little further south."

"Okay. And Jake, be careful."

 _Careful,_ Jake scoffed. After what they'd just been through?

"Yeah, sure. You too."

With that he disappeared from sight. Sherry felt uneasy as she made her way in the direction he'd pointed. The trees thickened as she moved further on, their full branches beginning to block the sunlight. She shivered, not from the cold but the eerie shadows that stretched toward her. She kept her gun ready, imagining what might come crawling from the darkness next.

Jake's voice floated toward her, "Yo, you still there?"

"I'm here!"

"Not far now..."

Sherry couldn't help but notice the change in Jake's tone. He sounded different, not relaxed exactly but... more like how he was when they first met. She remembered the way he'd pushed her to safety. Had it been intentional? Jake could easily have sprinted off and left Sherry to fend for herself, so she couldn't think of any explanation other than he _chose_ to help her.

Sherry was growing weary as she walked. She hoped Jake knew somewhere safe to shelter nearby, she wasn't sure if she'd have the strength to handle another attack right now.

"Heads up!" came his voice once more. Sherry paused and looked to the sky. Her heart dropped. Jake was dangling from the side of the cliff, his feet working their way down the jutting ledges. He was insane, she thought. It wasn't as high as before, but still, if he fell-

" _Shit_!"

Sure enough Jake had misplaced one of his boots. His body slid down the rocks, eliciting a panicked shriek from Sherry before he managed to grab a hold of one of the groves, stopping his fall with a jerk. "Don't worry," he called over his shoulder, hoping it wasn't obvious that he had damn near soiled himself as he fell. "You can always scrape your blood samples off the ground."

Sherry shook her head, "That's not funny." she replied. How he had kept himself alive for so long, she didn't know. The mission was turning out to be a hell of a lot harder than she'd anticipated. Although she'd known her death might come at the hands of a BOW, she hadn't considered the man before her would try giving her a _heart attack._

Thankfully Jake was able to manoeuvre the rest of the way down without incident. He landed on his feet with a flourish and a grin. Sherry tried to look unimpressed but failed as relief at seeing him in one piece flooded through her, pushing her frustrations aside. Jake was covered in cuts and bruises, his clothes torn all over. She wondered how he had managed to survive and shimmy down the snowy cliff considering he was already injured from their escape. Adrenaline, she supposed. Once it wore off the pain would kick back in and that smug grin would soon be gone. Maybe that was why his earlier, grouchy façade had slipped. He was on a high from the rush. For some reason Sherry wasn't surprised Jake was an adrenaline junkie.

Sherry rolled her eyes as Jake wiggled his eyebrows at her in an attempt to coax a reaction from her. He might not have expected a round of applause, but Sherry had just stared up at him with a confusing look on her face. It unnerved him a little.

"Nice work," she finally nodded, "Can I have my phone?"

Jake felt oddly disappointed that his grand entrance seemed to have little effect on the woman before him. Reaching inside his pocket he handed over the device, pausing for just a moment before dropping it in her open hand. "Remember, I'm giving _you_ my blood. No one else."

Sherry gave a quick nod, "Of course."

A series of messages were waiting for her, all asking for her to confirm their location. They were well overdue at the meet up point. Her bosses must have assumed she'd failed her mission. Her thumb rested over the screen for a few moments as she considered her options. She wanted to let them know she was still alive, that she was still with her target. She had _not_ failed, just... taken a slight detour. But if she did they'd want her location, which meant Jake might take off before she could get take a sample of his blood...

Jake watched as Sherry's expression shifted. She needed to work on her poker face, there was nothing that didn't shine through those pretty blue eyes of hers. He could tell she was figuring out what to do-

Wait, did he just think her eyes were pretty?

With a quiet 'hmph' he turned his back. It was just an observation, he told himself. Like how he'd noticed the blood caked over her cheek and soaked into her white coat. Jake marvelled at what it must be like to walk away from a shitstorm like what they'd just been through without so much as a scratch. His own body was beginning to ache and he knew he needed to get his hands on some meds soon. His eyes sought out the sun. It was approaching the highest point in the sky above them, they had plenty of time to get to the safehouse before dark.

"You coming?" he asked, jerking his head toward the thicket of trees.

Sherry flipped the phone shut and slid it securely into her coat before offering Jake a small smile and a nod of her head. A few more hours wouldn't make a difference, she thought to herself.

"Lead the way."

Jake cocked his gun and began a steady pace into the shadows. The area was usually quiet, not much around except for the odd bear. But they had an army of J'avo on their heels and who knew what else.

"Try to keep up," Jake told her.

They disappeared into the branches unaware of the eyes that had been watching them from above. A woman stood alone, pulling her scarf tight around her exposed neck. From behind her came the sound of heavier, lumbering footsteps before a low growl broke the silence.

"Soon..." she spoke, placing one hand on the torn skin of the giant beast who moved to her side. Always obedient to its master, it seemed to nod its head and retreat a few steps.

"We need to regroup. They won't get far..."


	9. Chapter 9

Jake cautiously led the way through the trees, occasionally pulling his phone out to check their location. Sherry followed in silence. Her attention was focused solely on making it to cover without having to engage in another firefight. The lack of questions and general chit chat did not go unnoticed by Jake. Every crunch of their boots in the snow seemed magnified. Perhaps it was being out in the open like this, away from the claustrophobic gloom of the mines, which left him feeling so exposed. He thought back over everything they'd been through in the last... how long had it been? A day? Jake held back a tired sigh. He was used to his life being full of all kinds of crazy, but from the moment Sherry Birkin had appeared things had really gone up a notch in the insane department. He now had a crazed, mutated stalker on his ass, had almost been killed in about a hundred different messed up ways, and was wanted by a foreign government for his blood.

With that thought Jake remembered their little ' _confrontation_ ' back in in the mine. He swallowed as his mouth filled with a bitter taste. His reaction to the notion of becoming a human guinea pig had been understandable, so he thought. Yet he couldn't help the new and unfamiliar weight in the pit of his stomach, which was made worse by Sherry's apparent reluctance to even speak to him. He had, after all, threatened to break her legs. Healing powers or not, Jake had to admit it was not his finest moment. And perhaps more than a little uncalled for. His words had been a guttural reaction to feeling trapped by his new role as the 'world's only hope'. Who the hell did she think he was anyway? Obi Wan Kinobe?

Even as Jake grasped at any chance to justify his behaviour he knew he'd have to admit to being a dick before Sherry would trust him again. Because apparently Jake Muller was bothered by the fact that this woman, who had been no more than a total stranger twenty-four hours ago, actually seemed a little afraid of him...

As he felt the ache in his sides beginning to grow he decided now was not the time to stop and work through their shit. They needed cover and time to rest. A couples therapy session could wait.

It didn't take long for him to find the familiar footpath he'd marked out years ago. He'd worked in a lot of places but Edonia was home in its own crappy way. He knew the lay of the land and always had somewhere to fall back on when things went to shit. The dilapidated lodge that awaited them had been one of the first 'homes' he'd made for himself after his mother-

"You doing okay?" he asked suddenly. Why the hell did he keep thinking about shit from his past? He'd locked away those memories a long time ago. Was it Sherry talking about her own childhood back at the cabin that had unlocked the part of his brain keeping 'childhood trauma' neatly tucked away...

"I'm fine, you?" Sherry responded, her voice flat and overly formal.

"Ah, you know me..."

Jake muttered with a shrug, surprised when Sherry followed up with an amused, "Built like a tank?"

He made a sound deep in his throat, almost a laugh, "You know it."

Perhaps he was reading a little too much into the silence between them? It wasn't like him to overthink things. Hell, just _thinking_ was usually saved for when he was on a job. Otherwise he filled his spare time finding ways to spend his hard earned cash before lining up the next assignment.

However the truthful answer to Sherry's concern was that Jake was now trying not to groan and curse with every step. His ankle was sore as hell, his burning ribs making it difficult to catch his breath. Not to mention the dozens of itching scrapes and grazes spread over his face and body. But Jake had been in worse shape many times before. This was a walk in the park in comparison. 

Sherry didn't mention that Jake looked far from okay. She could hear his laboured breathing and had begun to wonder how much longer he could manage before collapsing onto the wet ground. His father's naturally superior genes must have passed more on to Jake than just immunity from the C-virus. He was undeniably faster and stronger than a typical human. Sherry found this information comforting. Jake might not be able to recover from paralysis or being skewered by a sheet of metal but he was different too, in his own way. Even if he didn't know it yet.

Eventually Sherry could make out the shape of a building in the distance. Another small cabin-like structure.

"It was used by hunters," Jake explained, "Back when people came out into these woods."

"Why'd they stop coming out here?" Sherry asked.

"People started going missing, and it was more than just hunting accidents or getting picked off by animals. They literally disappeared without a trace. No blood, no bodies. People said these woods were haunted."

Sherry tightened the grip on her gun. She didn't believe in ghosts of course, she knew the stuff of legends and nightmares often paled in comparison to reality, "Do you know what really happened to them?"

Jake shook his head. He had a few theories but he'd never seen anything when he stayed out here. And no one was paying him to ask questions, so why bother looking. They both began a steady jog toward the building. Sherry hoped there was a fire at least, the cold was beginning to seep into her bones.

The door opened with a low moan, sending dust floating into the air around them. Jake kept his gun poised, motioning for Sherry to cover him as he stepped inside. There didn't seem to be any evidence of trespassers. There were no footsteps in the muddy snow and the thick layer of dust was undisturbed inside. The cabin only consisted of two rooms. The main room that held only a few worn pieces of furniture, including a small leather sofa that had been covered by a plastic sheet which Sherry noticed was sat opposite an empty fireplace. Signs that there had once been a kitchen of sorts were scattered at the far side of the room. There was no fridge, but a few cupboards and a gas grill beside a stack of cracked dishes and cups.

"Cosy," Sherry mumbled.

Jake's lips pulled into a thin smile. This was better than a _lot_ of the places he'd stayed in over the years, "Make yourself comfortable. There's no bathroom, just so you know."

Sherry eyed the blackened crevice in the wall, "Does the fireplace work?"

"I imagine its been blocked by birds nesting by now," Jake shrugged, "Besides, we don't want the smoke giving away our location."

He headed toward the only other door as he spoke. Although he was sure they were alone he still pushed it open with caution, gun raised just in case. There might not be any J'avo waiting to pounce, but Jake had had his fair share of run ins with the local wildlife. Who knew what had decided to nestle the bed once the place had been abandoned. 

Thankfully the room was empty. The musty smell of old wood and stale air assaulted his senses as he stepped inside and pushed the rusty bunk to one side. Pulling out his knife he began to pry at one of the floorboards. Sherry had followed after securing the bolts on the main door. She was sure the wood would break with ease if someone wanted to force their way in but it would buy them a few seconds of warning at least. She watched from the doorway as Jake pulled out a first aid kit and a box of what seemed to consist of bottles of water, rations and ammo.

"Looks like no one's been here in a few years," he said, more to himself than Sherry who found herself holding back the urge to question him as the minutes ticked by. Had this been Jake's home at one point? For how long? Had he lived here alone or with his mother before she'd died?

Jake stood and began to dig through the first aid kit as he moved to window, using his sleeve to wipe the grime from the glass. The sunlight crept in but did little to illuminate the room. Jake peered through, taking in the stillness of their surroundings. "I think it's safe to stop here for a while," he told her, "Why don't you get some rest while I patch myself up."

Sherry shook her head, "I'm fine. It takes a lot more than falling off a cliff to slow me down," she pointed out.

"I noticed," he told her, the corner of his mouth twitching upward hinting at an impressed smile. "But I've got some cleaning up to do, so..." he nodded his head toward the doorway.

Instead Sherry stepped closer and stretched out her hand, gesturing for him to hand over the supplies he was clutching, "It'll be faster if I help you."

Jake wanted to argue but Sherry had already pulled off her gloves and moved around him, pulling the kit from his fingers before he could snatch it out of reach. With a nod of her head she motioned for Jake to sit on the bunk. What Sherry really wanted was something to keep her occupied. She always needed a purpose, to be _doing_ something. She had spent too many of her younger years simply sitting around trying to find new hobbies to distract herself with and _waiting_. Waiting to be told what would happen to her next. She hated the claustrophobic feeling it gave her when she was lost alone with her thoughts. So if that meant tending to Jake's wounds for now it was better then pacing the floor in the other room.

Jake intended to refuse. He _intended_ to shake his head and offer to 'help' her find her way outside if she didn't listen... but apparently his feet and his brain were incommunicado for the moment as he found himself moving toward her. He sat on the edge of the bunk and looked up at her like a resentful child, confused and disgruntled by his own body's betrayal. Had he ever had someone else tend to his wounds before? He tried to remember who would clean up a scraped knee or show him how to stop the nose bleeds he'd earn picking fights with the local kids...

No one, he remembered. He'd always been left to just take care of himself.

While Jake pondered this most unexpected situation Sherry had already sought out the cloths and a small bottle of disinfectant. Wordlessly, avoiding the piercing stare she could feel following her every movement, Sherry pressed the damp material to the largest cut over his brow. Jake hissed.

"Oh come on," she teased, her voice soft enough that Jake knew she wasn't being unkind.

"It _stings_ ," he huffed, "Is that stuff even gonna work? It's _years_ old."

Sherry inspected the bottle but realised it was printed in a language she couldn't read.

"Better than nothing," she shrugged, continuing to wipe the dirt and blood from Jake's face. Her fingers carefully avoided touching his skin, not that she was doing so on purpose. There was something instinctual about the way her hands delicately moved over his features, checking the worst signs of damage. It wasn't that she didn't _want_ to touch him... to run a hand over the scarred cheekbone to his sharp jawline...

She was afraid of the sudden needy urge to feel him so close to her. Sherry realised with a sinking feeling that, other than during combat training and her medical examinations, she'd never been so close to another person since she was a child. Her last hug, hand to hold or tender kiss pressed against her cheek before she fell into a frightful sleep... had all been from Claire.

Before this moment, it hadn't even occurred to her how she missed the comfort of human contact.

Her fingers began to tremble as she fought with herself. This was _not_ okay. She needed to focus on her work. An active mission was not the time to think about what the years of neglect and lack of human affection had done to her. " _To have just felt the occasional kind touch..."_ she thought, her breath catching in her chest as she fumbled with the bottle in her hand.

Jake noticed. His eyes narrowed before moving past her face to stare at the wall. He misunderstood her clumsiness, unable to have any inkling of the lonely memories running through her mind. Instead he felt the rising sense of self-loathing that he was all too familiar with.

If he made her so uncomfortable then why offer to help him?

"You know, I can manage on my own..." he told her, his voice a low rumble in the silence.

Sherry quickly busied herself with the largest cut just above Jake's eye, wishing her heart would stop beating so loudly in her chest. She was sure Jake would be able to hear it. She was stood so close to his side, the hand resting on his thigh was only inches from her leg, "I know," she replied, her voice a slightly higher pitch than her typical tone and she prayed he didn't hear the difference, "But this cut seems pretty deep. You might need stitches if I can't stop the bleeding..."

Jake jerked a little when he finally felt her fingertips brush just over his eye. Sherry apologised and pulled her hand away quickly, glad he was no longer looking at her face as she felt a flush spread up her neck.

"S'okay," he said, feeling a little dazed all of a sudden. It hadn't been pain that made him jump. Whatever it was, it left him still able to feel the soft touch of her skin burning against his own.

He had the strongest urge to stand, to move away and put as much space as possible between himself and those hands...

He had an even stronger urge to stay just where he was. He was suddenly aware of just how close she was too him, perhaps closer than was necessary for the job in hand. It wasn't as though this was the first time. Hell he'd thrown himself over her and pulled her from harm's way more times than he could count. But they'd always had the distraction of utter chaos and impending death. Maybe that was why he'd never noticed the hint of something flowery every time she moved. It wasn't a strong scent. Only an imbecile would wear perfume only a battle field, especially those filled with monsters who could follow the scent better than a hound dog. This was something entirely natural.

Jake cleared his throat at the mounting urge to say something. To fill the quietness of the room. All he could hear now was his own blood rushing in his ears. "Look, about what happened back in the cave..." he began, surprised that _that_ was what he came up with. _Way to keep things light_ , he thought wryly.

Sherry remained silent, her hands now carefully covered by another clean piece of fabric that she cautiously pressed over Jake's temple. She waited for him to continue, although he seemed to be struggling to find the words as he exhaled loudly, fidgeting with the edges of his finger-less gloves. "I was out of line. I guess I lost it when I actually thought about what you were asking me to do, and what could happen..."

Sherry made a quiet sound of acknowledgement. If she had known what had been in store for _her_ when the nameless uniformed officials had tracked her down all those years ago, demanding Leon and Claire hand her over to them, she too would probably have chosen to run. It was naïve of her to trust that blood would be all they would to ask of Jake. Especially with his lineage being what it was.

"I don't blame you," she said softly, "I think... you were right. I mean, you didn't have to _threaten_ me..." she finished, trying to sound nonchalant about the incident. She'd somehow already forgotten that the last time he'd been so close to her she'd pulled a gun on him, fully convinced that she would have to use it.

Jake winced at the memory. There were few things in life he regretted but that moment was now high on the list of stupid shit he'd said and could never take back. "I wouldn't have done it, you know. I was just running my mouth..."

Sherry found her breathing had become difficult to keep steady. For the second time that day time seemed to slow. Without thinking she had placed a hand on Jake's shoulder, feeling the muscles tense beneath the bulk of his jacket. Sherry expected him to shrug her off, maybe even pull away like a wounded animal. From what she'd come to learn of the man before her, his instincts were typically fight or flight. So when his hand reached up not to push hers away but to press down gently on her own exposed fingers, Sherry almost forgot how to breath. Her eyes travelled up over the scar on his cheek to his meet his own. He had looked up from where he'd been fixated on his own boots and was now studying her face intently. Jake's face was unreadable, his features tense and clouded. If it weren't for the hand still pressed to her own she'd have thought he looked almost angry. Yet his eyes told her something different. Gone was the usual glint of mistrust and quiet calculation. Instead she saw something vulnerable. He seemed to be eager for her to acknowledge his unsaid apology, to know that she had nothing to fear from him...

Her gaze flickered lower, just for a second, to lips that were slightly open and pulling in their own shaky breaths. "I know..." she told him, her voice so quiet it was practically a whisper.

Jake's mouth twitched. A small smile eased over his lips. It was so different from the usual smirk that was semi-permanent on his face. It softened him, made his eyes look warmer...

"We should..." Sherry began to say, words faltering as Jake ran a thumb over her exposed wrist. She found herself wishing he'd removed his gloves so she could feel the full extent of his warm hands against her own.

Jake looked at her questioningly. What would be the end of that sentence, he wondered...

What did he hope it would be?

"We should.. finish cleaning you up. We need to keep moving."

The moment ended, sending reality crashing around them much like the avalanche they'd just survived.

The rushing in Jake's ears faded as he urged the pounding in his chest to cease. His hand let go of Sherry's as he curled his fingers tightly on themselves and placed it in his lap. Sherry stepped back, the bloodied cloth hanging limply from her grasp was an unwelcome reminder of the situation they were in.

"The bleeding's stopped," she told him, her eyes looking anywhere but on his. "Maybe you should..."

Jake grunted and mumbled something incoherent. A clumsy awkwardness that Jake had _never_ experienced with a woman before had now replaced the tension between them. "I won't take long. The sofa in the other room... it's more comfortable than it looks if you wanted to catch some sleep before we move on..."

Sherry nodded, the blush on her neck had stretched up to her cheeks now. She was glad that Jake was busily avoiding looking at her as he unwound a ball of bandages. "Sure," she replied. Unable to think of a single thing to say as the urge to run from the room and slam the door shut began to overwhelm her. Thankfully she was able to walk away without such theatrics. She did, however, find herself slumped against the wall as she pressed her head against its cool surface.

" _What the hell was that!_ " her mind screamed at her. Who'd have thought, after everything she' been through that day, _this_ was what left her feeling shaken beyond measure. " _You're just asking for trouble now..."_ said a voice in her head she didn't quite recognise as her own. It was much colder. Disapproving even. A tone she'd often hear from her parents.

Sherry began to move around the room keeping herself busy by checking the windows. They had only been here for all of ten minutes, yet it felt like hours. It was unlikely they'd be tracked down anytime soon...

Which was a shame, Sherry thought. If ever they needed a distraction... now would be it...


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: references to child abuse. Non graphic or descriptive. Abusive parenting and mental illness.

Eventually Sherry stopped pacing and leant beside one of the dust covered windows. Everything was so still it made the dim interior of the cabin all the more eerie and unsettling. Using her sleeve she wiped at the layers of grime on the glass to peer outside. Her eyes roamed over the rusty walls of what appeared to be a poorly built garage. She hoped there was a working vehicle inside, but if no one had visited the cabin for years she knew it was unlikely. They'd be making their way onward by foot.

For a moment Sherry felt the niggling sense of self-doubt in the pit of her stomach. With nothing else to do but think, she wondered just how severe the consequences for her actions were going to be. As long as she returned with a sample that could be used to create a vaccine, surely that was was the point of her mission...

Could she live with herself if Jake was right? If it was decided that his blood was too precious, or even dangerous, to allow him to go about his life freely, then she was essentially walking him toward a life she herself was trying desperately to escape.

In that moment as she pressed her head against the coolness of the glass it dawned on Sherry... escape was possible. From here she could just _run_. Yes she would be hunted, true freedom was a luxury she'd never afford. But at least for the first time ever she would have some choice in her own fate. If she could just make peace with the cost. Millions of lives. Gone. Bio-terrorism would inevitably win, changing the face of the world forever. All because she didn't deliver one tiny vial of blood.

Another revelation came to her. This must have been how Claire and Leon had felt, all those years ago, when given an ultimatum to hand Sherry over to the government. Although she loved her saviours and temporary guardians, she would be lying if she said there'd never been long, tear-filled nights when she wondered why they had abandoned her to such a cruel, lonely life. She had only been a child but she could remember Leon's raised voice as he argued with the men who'd shown up in expensive suits, flashing their guns and their badges in his face as they insisted Sherry be taken 'for the safety of national security'.

It seemed laughable that the tiny blonde girl hiding behind the door could be considered any sort of threat. She hadn't understood at the time why people would be afraid of her. Of course _now_ she knew just how dangerous the secrets within her body were. The power that knowledge could give someone if it fell into the wrong hands was unthinkable.

A sudden cry of pain from the other room interrupted her thoughts. Sherry almost jumped out of her skin as the memories were pushed from her mind. She instinctively moved toward the door, her heart beating in her chest loudly as the surge of adrenaline coursed through her. She called out to Jake to make sure he was okay. There came no response except stifled, pain-filled groans. Sherry hesitated for just a moment with her hand outstretched to rest on the door handle. Even though they'd clearly shared some sort of... _moment_... Sherry still felt the tug of caution in the back of her mind. If there was one thing she had learned so far it was that Jake was unpredictable. Just because they'd awkwardly stared at each other for a few seconds whilst almost holding hands didn't mean he wouldn't flip out again if she intruded on him, especially during a moment of weakness. Yet hearing another anguished cry made her mind up for her. Sherry pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Jake was half laying on the bunk, one hand gripping the edge tightly as the other pressed to his ribs. His eyes were screwed shut, his face twisted in pain as he tried to get his breathing under control. She took in the sweat on his brow and the pale complexion of his skin as she hesitantly moved closer. Jake didn't react to her appearance at all and Sherry realised he hadn't even noticed her enter the room.

"What's wrong?" she asked gently, not wanting to startle him. Jake cracked one eye open and glowered as Sherry moved to kneel at his side. Worry was written over her face and in Jake's already irritated state it did nothing to ease his mood.

"I'm just peachy," he told her gruffly. Against his better judgement he tried to sit himself upright, but all he managed to do was let out another string of curses and fall almost completely on his back. Sherry reached out toward the bottom of his shirt, muttering worriedly that for all his bravado something must be broken.

If the throbbing ache wasn't making him feel like he could barely breathe Jake would have managed more than feeble protests at her actions. His strength, having been sapped from his body on his last attempt at moving, prevented him from stopping Sherry's fingers from lifting the soiled material to reveal his abdomen. His skin was covered in jagged cuts and angry bruises. Pulling the cloth slightly higher exposed a particularly large red and purple bruise stretching the length of his rib cage, but it was something _else_ that caught Sherry's eye even amongst the horrendous damage to his side.

In his line of work a few scars were to be expected. Bullet and knife wounds would not surprise her. However, the trail of small circular scars that had healed and faded well enough that she knew they were several years old made her breath catch in her throat. These were not battle scars. They were too neatly lined along the underside of his lowest rib. To Sherry they looked cruelly deliberate...

Her hand was knocked away and Jake's shirt fell back to hide the carnage beneath. His sudden anger at Sherry's wide-eyed expression gave Jake just the strength he needed to push himself almost upright, balancing himself with one hand still clutching the edge of the bunk.

"Who... who did that to you?" Sherry stammered before she could stop herself.

When her eyes met Jake's she shrank back from his furious gaze, half expecting him to storm from the room even in his injured state. Instead a strange stillness came over him as the hot rage behind his eyes faded, withering away until his expression made him almost unrecognisable to Sherry.

It occurred to Sherry how inappropriate her questioning might seem. Who was she to ask about something so terrible? It wasn't her place. No matter how her heart ached at the thought of the man before her being subjected to such tortures, she was here in a professional capacity. She needed to start behaving as such, she told herself firmly.

"Never mind," she said with a shake of her head. Jake glanced at her with weary eyes as he made a low sound in his throat as if to clear it and winced as the effort caused another shot of pain in his side. Without the adrenaline in his system to ward off the agony he was really beginning to feel the effects of surviving an avalanche. He made a mental note that as much as it would make a great story to tell one day, it was not an event to be repeated.

"Whatever," he muttered, "Pass me that other bottle over there. The one with the pills."

Sherry did as he asked, handing the bottle over without a word. Jake shook four into his palm and tipped them into his mouth, Sherry began to ask if he wanted a bottle of water, but Jake was already swallowing before she could finish. He prayed they would start working soon. He'd taken double the dose, but he'd handled stronger stuff in the past. He just needed to be able to walk. And ideally breathe at the same time without his lungs feeling like they were on fire.

Sherry shifted uncomfortably, wishing she could just walk out of the room without a second thought to what she had seen, but even after years of cruelty and isolation she had never lost her sense of kindness and decency. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

 _Here we go_ , Jake thought to himself. "Don't worry about. You're not the first girl who couldn't resist trying to get my clothes off."

His attempt at humour may have worked if his voice hadn't been so hollow. But Sherry could take a hint, and for that he was grateful. He did _not_ want to talk about it.

Sherry also realised it was probably for the best. She needed to remain detached. Impassive. Swapping further tales of childhood trauma would certainly make that even more difficult than it already was.

"We should get moving soon, if you're up to it." she told him.

As keen as Jake was to escape the uncomfortable tension in the room, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at Sherry's eagerness to trudge back out into the wilderness. "We don't all have super powers remember, I'm gonna need a minute."

Sherry had been right. Jake's mood swings were enough to make her head spin. She just couldn't predict when he'd crack a joke or start making threats. Or switch from staring at her with such intensity it made her chest flutter and her palms sweat to this... cold disdain.

"Fine," she shrugged before pacing over to the farthest wall and settling down against it. "But don't take too long, we don't want to loose the sunlight."

Jake's eyes widened briefly before he rolled them at the flatly stubborn look on Sherry's face. "I don't need a nursemaid-"

"Good, because you're not getting one." Sherry replied, "But you might be bleeding internally and if you don't make it I still need to get a sample from you." The words sounded unnatural coming from her own mouth, but she'd decided if Jake wanted to blow hot and cold when it suited him she could play him at his own game.

It certainly threw Jake off for a moment. But he was no fool and Sherry had a terrible poker face. He smirked, the corner of his mouth twitching as he suppressed a laugh.

"Something funny?" Sherry asked, his sudden change in demeanour once again leaving her confused and unsure of herself.

"Just thinking... it would suck for you if you're first mission ended with your target dying out in the middle of nowhere. Be quite a mark on your record I'd bet."

Sherry didn't reply. Instead she worked hard to keep her expression unreadable, but her hands wound together in her lap and Jake knew he was under her skin.

"I mean," he continued as he carefully laid back on the bunk and tucked one arm behind him to cradle his head, "do you think you'd ever even get another shot? To be out in the field that is. Or would it be desk duties for life?"

"They'll probably just lock me away again.."

Jake's eyes, which had been fixed to the rotting ceiling, snapped toward the woman as she stared glumly at her feet. Her eyes were clouded, a few small wrinkles appeared on her forehead as she frowned while deep in thought. Jake caught himself before he asked the question. Locked away? _Again_? He'd figured with her powers she was some kind of prodigy, what government wouldn't want soldiers in the field who could survive just about anything? Well, he was never going to know if he didn't ask...

Clearing his throat awkwardly and hissing as his side protested, Jake tried to sound casually disinterested as he spoke, "So... life in the Land Of The Free isn't all it's cracked up to be huh?"

Sherry almost laughed. How would she know? Her life had consisted of windowless bunkers and laboratories for more than half of it. "You've no idea." she told him wryly, finally looking up to match his gaze. Her expression was hard, almost empty. But her eyes swam with a sadness Jake had seen on many faces in his line of work. But mostly it reminded him of the way his mother would look at him sometimes.

"You know, my Ma.. she lived over there for a while. She never really talked about it though so I figured, if she'd rather move back to a place like Edonia then Uncle Sam can't be all that." Sherry didn't reply, but fidgeted awkwardly. "I suppose you already knew that," Jake continued, "Probably know all sorts about me since you were sent out here to drag me back to the blood-suckers."

"I know she raised you alone... that she died when you were young. Like my mother, and my dad."

Jake's eyes were back to staring at the ceiling. He wanted to think the reason he didn't end the conversation right then was because the pain meds had begun to kick in and was obscuring his judgement, or perhaps pain and exhaustion had gotten the better of him. He didn't want to admit that, for some inexplicable reason, he _wanted_ to talk to Sherry. To this person who was practically a stranger he would've left in the dirt long ago were it not for the promise of a considerable cash sum waiting for him, until he'd changed his mind of course. No amount of money was worth risking his freedom after all.

"Yeah, well, life's a bitch."

Great, Jake thought. Dead parents, what a conversation starter.

"And so is death apparently." Sherry piped up, her voice a strange mix of bitterness and... something Jake couldn't quite decipher. He paused, letting the silence wash over them until he realised she didn't seem to have anything else to add. His mind searched for a change of topic. He wasn't used to this, to actually talking about something that didn't involve guns or money. But even he knew he couldn't just start making small talk about the weather.

"So you er, get adopted or something? After... you know." he began lamely.

"Or something."

More silence. This time Jake decided to admit defeat and drop any attempt at civilised conversation, until Sherry finally continued.

"I stayed with Leon and Claire for a while. I told you about them before. Anyway, eventually I ended up being taken somewhere else. Without them. My blood was considered too dangerous to be out in the world..."

"That... must have sucked."

As lame and useless as his statement sounded, his voice carried a certain dark tone that reassured Sherry. Jake was not dismissing what happened to her as a child. In fact, after everything she'd begun piecing together about him, he probably understood better than most.

"Not as much as when I got older and the experiments really started."

The words had left her mouth before she could think about the weight behind them. Sherry tried not to dwell too much on the... harder... aspects of being government property. Because when she did she couldn't help the bubbling rage that simmered within in her. They may have waited until she turned eighteen to really step up their game, but what had been done to her was... inhuman. And here she was after all of it, a perfect little lap dog doing their bidding.

Jake bit his tongue to stop himself asking for more details. Part of his curiosity was founded in some grim fascination with the woman's abilities, the other was concern for his own well-being. What might be in store for him now his DNA was somehow akin to gold dust.

As it turned out, he didn't need to ask.

"You know they... didn't always use anaesthesia. But that wasn't the worst. The worst was waking up and not knowing exactly what had happened while I was unconscious. I could feel it sometimes, my body still piecing itself together. It's like an itch. The ones in my head were like bugs scrambling around in there." Sherry was staring at her empty hands, resisting the urge to balls them into fists and pull at her scalp as the memories flooded her mind. She could almost feel it right then, the unbearable need to reach inside her own skull and _scratch_.

When she finally looked up she almost jumped at the sight of Jake staring at her intently from the bed. His mouth was pulled into a thin line and he was scowling. So much for not sharing childhood trauma, Sherry thought with a hollow laugh. She wasn't quite sure what had prompted such an honest outburst, but she realised she'd probably said too much. Sherry tried to smile, her hands settling lightly in her lap.

"It's okay, I learned how to focus, how to make it quicker. It doesn't hurt so bad if I can just concentrate, but after it feels really weird. Sensitive. I remember one of the doctors telling me each time I healed I was essentially regrowing brand new skin and organs."

The fact that Jake's expression did not change told Sherry her rambling was not making the situation any better. But this still new to her, she'd never been able to have an un-monitored conversation with someone who didn't know her, who wouldn't go reporting back to her minders with every little detail to analyse and use against her in the future.

"I'm... talking too much. Sorry." she shrugged, wishing she'd gone with her first instinct and just left Jake alone in the room.

"Don't apologise," he replied flatly. Jake turned his face away once again and resumed his inspection of the ceiling. His words were emotionless but inside... something was stirring that he wasn't familiar with. "Don't ever apologise for what someone else did to you."

A tense silence settled between them. Sherry idly pulled at a loose thread on her coat which only made her think about the last time they'd been trapped in a cabin together. How different Jake seemed already compared to the confident, cocky mercenary she'd been introduced too. He was still a smug wise-ass, but Sherry realised he was so much more than the file she'd examined repeatedly as she'd flown from the states, eager to excel in her first mission. Had she been so deprived of human interaction that she'd somehow forgotten there was more to people than a few words on a screen... or a name, a white coat and a list of degrees and qualifications.

"You know you're... not quite what I expected."

Jake quirked an eyebrow in surprise. He'd thought their little sharing session was over. "Better looking in the flesh hm?" he quipped.

"Taller, maybe."

Jake let out a sound that was almost a laugh until the stabbing pain in his side made him hiss. "What can I say, I'm a man of mystery. You can't just start in the middle of a book and assume you know everything there is to know, right?"

"So tell me."

"What?"

"The start. The beginning of your book. It's only fair..."

Jake mentally kicked himself for walking right into that one. It had not been an invitation to begin a therapy session. "Hey, I didn't ask you to go starting up some kind of messed up sharing time. That's on you." he snapped with a little more bite than he intended. Still, he needed to put an end to the conversation before... well, it just needed to end.

Sherry paused before nodding, "That's fair. I guess it's been a while since I've really talked to anyone. I don't know why I'm telling you all this."

"It's my irresistible charm." Jake replied flatly, "But seriously. Stop it."

" _Here we go again_ ," Sherry thought to herself. The never ending merry-go-round that was Jake Muller's emotional state. She realised she probably shouldn't overthink the strange moment they'd had before, the one that still made her stomach lurch uncomfortably whenever she met his gaze. Pulling herself to her feet she stretched out her arms and tried to let off an aura of utter coolness. "I guess I'll let you get some rest, but we really need to get moving soon."

Jake watched her walk away, open the door, and disappear without a backward glance. He closed his eyes tight and tried to settle the tsunami of conflicting thoughts running through his head. On one hand he hadn't been able to help himself tracing the long line of her legs from the corner of his eye as she'd spoken. On the other, he found her talking both annoying and enrapturing at the same time. Or perhaps that was why he was so annoyed in the first place. If he was typically to sit through a woman's life story it was usually with the aim of accomplishing one thing at the end of the night. As much as Jake couldn't deny that Sherry was certainly attractive company, she was also... dare he admit it, interesting, for reasons he could not yet fathom. And that in itself was incredibly frustrating.

So Jake had done what he always did in situations he had no control over. He was an asshole until the problem went away. Well, mission accomplished, he thought. Sherry was now hiding from him in the other room... and he felt _guilty_.

With a thin sigh Jake steadily pulled himself up. The pain in his sides was now a dull ache. Enough to slow him down but not make it necessary to stop. He wondered what would happen when he went through that door. He could announce they were ready to leave, lead the way to town with stubborn stoicism... or, they could stay.

And talk.

Even the thought had Jake rolling his eyes at himself.

How could Jake tell her that the scars she had seen had been caused long before his work in the mines. It was just another sad story about a kid with a drunk for a mother who failed to protect him from her scumbag boyfriend. Nothing original, he thought emptily, as if that was the problem with whole shitty scenario. If he was going to end up a messed up kid who grew into a messed up adult, at least his mother could have been more creative with the trauma he'd endured. But at least it had given Jake his most valuable life lesson. Trust no one. Even the person who should have been his one source of protection in this shit show of a life had left him to take care of himself.

Jake knew his mother had been a sick woman. Not physically, at least not at first. Her sickness wasn't one most people could see. He wasn't sure if she'd always been that way, or moving from the states to Edonia had pushed her over the edge at some point. He had very few good memories of his life at home.

His first, that might be considered a happy memory, was when he was about six years old. His mother had been gifted an old, broken down piano. Although he couldn't remember why, probably best not to ponder on it. She'd fixed the thing up, declaring how this was the key to getting their lives together. She was a gifted pianist who had learned to play at his age. She would give lessons and earn some good honest money. Jake would be her first student.

He'd been so happy to be sat at her side, day after day. Until the laughter and the smell of her perfume had begun to warp into frustrated sighs. Her comforting scent became cigarette smoke and the stale stench of alcohol. He still remembered vividly the first time she struck him across the knuckles when he played the wrong key, how his hand had turned red and stung angrily as he held back tears. If she couldn't even teach her own son to play than who would pay her to teach other children, she'd ranted.

Eventually the piano was left forgotten in a dusty corner of their home. He could still see it sometimes, when he closed his eyes. If only he'd been better, perhaps he wouldn't have had to work digging out the mines after a particularly hard year that saw them eating one measly meal a day.

No, Jake decided. Talking was not an option.

Not that he had any choice in the matter any longer. The door burst open, making him start, as Sherry gestured to him with wide eyes and a hand wrapped around her gun. Instantly Jake knew they'd been found, but by who? More J'avo freaks?

Sherry motioned for him to look out the window. Pulling his own weapon and releasing the safety Jake carefully edged closer, grinding his teeth as he spotted at least a dozen masked goons surrounding them through the trees. But it was something else that caught his attention. If they were trying to sneak up on them they were doing a piss poor job. The trees were beginning to shake, snow falling to the ground with muted thumps, as something approached. Something big.

"What the fuck..." Jake breathed as Sherry pulled her phone from her pocket. A huge, mechanical claw of some kind wrapped itself around one of the closest trees and wrenched it from the ground. Jake only briefly caught sight of familiar looking rotted skin and a muzzled face before grabbing Sherry and diving to the ground.

The tree crashed through the side of the cabin with a sickening crunch. Cold air and wet snow assaulted them as voices began to shriek. Jake felt his head swim. The sudden movement and collision with the ground, even with Sherry acting as a fairly effective cushion, had sent his senses into overdrive as every bruise on his body began to burn. He managed to open his eyes just enough to see Sherry looking up at him, fear lining her face.

"Anyone else getting a sense of deja vu?" he croaked before hands grabbed his jacket and pulled him out into the snow where he was once again thrown unceremoniously to the ground. Jake unleashed every filthy curse he could muster until he felt something heavy press against his back. Then he could only scream.

Vaguely he was aware of someone calling his name, begging for them to stop. Jake could feel himself loosing the fight to stay awake just as a pair of bare legs and a red scarf came into view.

"Well, well, well... if it isn't Wesker juniour..."

Jake could only mumble a barely coherent "Huh?"

Dark hair and cold eyes came toward his face. A smile that reminded Jake of a snake met his confused stare. "Looks like you have a little catching up to do. There'll be plenty of time for chit chat later. As for you..."

The woman elegantly stood upright and moved just out of Jakes sight as she began to address Sherry. Jake could hardly hear a word that was said as his ears filled with the sound of rushing water. He was going to pass out, there was no use fighting in. They'd lost.

Just as his face hit the ground and Jake fell into unconsciousness he remembered just where he'd seen the woman before. She's been the dealer, the one who had given his team the injections that turned them all into monsters.

All but him.

"Well fuck me..." Jake mumbled into the snow before his eyes slid shut and his body went limp.

Sherry, who had been pulled from the shattered cabin alongside Jake, felt her hope fade as Jake's body lay motionless beneath the boot of the creature they had evaded back in the city. Her heart pounded as her phone was snatched from her fingers and crushed by the hilt of a gun. She'd desperately tried to send an SOS to HQ, to give them an idea of their coordinates. She had no idea if she'd succeeded.

Hands gripped her tightly as the woman who'd spoken to Jake approached. She'd called him Wesker, which meant she _knew_. She knew what Jake's blood could do... and as she looked Sherry up and down with a heartless smile, Sherry realised the woman knew what hers could do too.

"Oh don't look at me like that, it's not like he's dead. We can get far more use from a living specimen than a dead one."

"Who are you?" Sherry asked, knowing even if this stranger told her right now, the information would be of no use unless she escaped.

"I'm... a friend. A friend of a friend, you could day."

Sherry frowned, "I don't have any friends. Not ones who would consort with the likes of you."

The woman laughed, the sound echoing around them like pieces of split glass. "He told me you were spunky. That's good, I do hate the damsel in distress trope. But for now..."

A gesture at the creature hovering over Jake was all it took for the metal arm to be brought down against Sherry's skull. She felt the fracture and tasted her own blood all before hitting the ground.

Perfectly manicured nails tapped against a pale cheek. "Two for the price of one. Today was a good day, don't you agree my dear?"

The towering monster emitted a low rumble, a sound that almost sounded affectionate, as the woman smiled. Red lips parted over white teeth as Jake and Sherry were lifted over her minions shoulder with ease. "Now... let's go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was planning to end this story when Jake and Sherry get captured, but I've always felt like there was something missing in the time they were imprisoned in China. They seem to end up with a very different bond after the mountains in Edonia. I guess, after six months where they were apparently kept separate, I've always imagined there must have been something that triggered the change.


	11. Chapter 11

He didn't see the blow that knocked Sherry unconscious or feel his body slung over the Ustanak's shoulder like a rag doll. Jake didn't know much of anything until he woke almost forty-eight hours later in an unbearably white room, stripped naked with only a sheet slung over him for modesty. The red light of the camera mounted just out of reach blinked as if mocking him. His body was still a cacophony of bruises, yet the IV embedded in his arm seemed to be keeping the pain at bay.

Jake ripped it from his skin with a snarl before trying, and failing, to stand from the bed.

He fell back, his vision blurring as he fought the urge to vomit. He heard the hiss and slide of a door being opened somewhere to his left and the heavy footsteps approaching. Armed men in masks circled the bed, snarling and grunting. " _J'avo_?" Jake thought to himself, the memory of a conversation on the side of a mountain echoed back through the haze in his head.

He remembered...

The battle in Edonia, his entire squad transforming into the very monsters he'd been hired to kill... a stranger with blonde hair and blue eyes...

"Sherry!" Jake tried to call, but his voice was as weak as he felt.

"Please relax, Mr Muller. You won't come to any harm as long as you follow our instructions carefully."

Jake let off a tirade of creative expletives to let them know just what he thought of their 'instructions'. The voice, which seemed to belong to a fuzzy-faced middle-aged man, clucked his tongue in frustration. "Allow us to reinsert your IV-"

"Get fucked."

Anger filled the room. Jake's vision had begun to clear and he saw the shape of several J'avo move forward, only to be stopped by a raised hand. Jake blinked a few more times before the man came clearly into view. He was easily in his late forties, a dark beard streaked with silver matched his ragged hair. Small, green eyes watched him carefully from behind his glasses. Jake could only assume from the white coat and clipboard he was clutching tightly that he was some kind of doctor.

"You American?" Jake asked, "Who you with?"

"My name is Doctor Archer. I'm here to assess your injuries and manage your pain. Now please allow me to reinsert your IV or we will do so by force."

Jake considered for a moment, his eyes taking in the blank four walls, the large round door that looked like it belonged on a bank vault and led to yet another empty, white room. He was in a hospital... or a lab.

"My former statement still stands." Jake dead-panned. Archer peered at him over the top of his glasses, a look that irritated Jake greatly. His school teachers used to look at him the exact same way, until he stopped going of course.

"Very well."

The sharp stinging in Jake's neck made him lash out, his fist catching the elbow of whoever had stabbed him just below his jaw. Jake heard the pop of bones being dislocated and a cry of pain before his head began to swim once again. Hands held him down, pinning him to the bed as white turned to black and Jake frantically tried to hold onto consciousness. He was saying... something. He felt his lips moving, sounding out words he wasn't quite sure of until Archer's face leaned in close with what was supposed to be a reassuring smile. It only served to fuel the fires of Jake's rage even before he spoke.

"You've no need to concern yourself with Miss Birkin. Your time with her is over. I suggest you sleep Mr Muller... you're going to need it..."

* * *

Jake had heard of isolation being an effective method of torture.

"White torture... they don't need to break your body if they can break your mind..." he remembered an old acquaintance telling him with a dead, far-away look in his eyes. Jake could only guess at how long he'd been held for by the rate at which is wounds healed, although he couldn't even trust that he was healing at a normal pace. Whatever drugs they kept hooking him up to seemed to be having a strange effect on him. Or perhaps that was just the paranoia setting in. With no windows to see out of and the lights in his room never changing Jake didn't even know if it was night or day. No one spoke directly to him, not that it would have mattered since for the first few days, or weeks even, everything sounded like nonsense as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

Eventually, even in his drug-induced state, he'd manage to catch snippets of conversation in a language he recognised. Thank god he had a natural aptitude for languages Jake thought as he slowly began to piece together the most commonly used phrases. His line of work had also allowed him to meet people from all over the world and he always found the ones who were eager to pass on whatever knowledge they had, including dialect. It helped that he always carried a book or two with him to study when he was holed up somewhere waiting for the next job.

The only thing he never overheard were any mentions of the agent who'd been captured with him. Unless Sherry hadn't made it...

Jake let out an angry grunt as he paced the white room. As soon as they'd stopped strapping him to his bed and hooking him up to the IV he'd come up with a routine to keep him occupied. But even when he exercised until his body burned and sweat soaked through the papery white trousers and shirt they'd given him, he couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to those last few moments in Edonia. He didn't know if his captors knew about Sherry's abilities. If they did it was a sure thing they wouldn't let that knowledge go to waste. Which meant Sherry was either dead... or possibly somewhere in the same building.

Jake sat on the edge of his bed, resting his elbows on his knees as he hung his head low to keep his face hidden from the camera. He didn't have a single second of privacy. Not when he used the toilet, which was the only other piece of furniture in the room, or even when he showered since he was stripped naked every time he was removed from the room and hosed down with an audience of guards and sadists in lab coats. Was this happening to her too? He wondered. Was this what she'd been talking about before, what had happened to her after Raccoon City.

Jake made a mental note not to underestimate super girl again. He'd been through hell and back and could hardly say it'd left him in one piece, but back then she'd only been a _child_...

A familiar hiss had him lifting his head with a snap, his shoulders squaring as the door to his room began to open ominously. The usual routine followed. Masked guards with guns and machetes marched in and ordered him up against the wall. Jake placed his hands on the back of his head and waited. Would it be handcuffs or a shot in the neck again? He wasn't sure which was worse. The stinging sensation in his neck would mean a long nap at least, handcuffs meant whatever was about to happen he would be conscious for...

He felt hands take his wrists firmly and twist his arms behind his back. "Cuffs it is." he grumbled to himself, "What fun are we in for today, boys?"

The response was a jolt of searing pain that shot up his back and into his skull before reaching the very ends of his fingertips and toes. When Jake opened his eyes he was panting against the cold tile of the floor, his body twitching painfully even as he was pulled to his feet and dragged toward the door.

"Not feeling chatty today. Got it."

He heard the threat of the cattle prod as it crackled inches from his throat. Was the pain really worth the pleasure of being a smart-ass for a few seconds?

"You know, you keep poking me with that thing and I'm gonna get the wrong idea..."

It was worse the second time around, Jake would admit. He dropped to the floor again as fire erupted in his veins. Once the pain faded he dragged in a ragged breath, tasting blood on his tongue as he choked out a hollow laugh. "Totally worth it."

By the time he was pulled into Test Room 1 and dumped against the wall Jake could feel every muscle protesting. He frowned as he took in his bare surroundings. The room was bigger than most of the others he'd been in so far and there was nothing but concrete walls embedded with steel pillars... until Jake felt the floor begin to tremble. Jumping to his feet he ignored his protesting body, realising the cuffs had been removed at some point as he flexed his arms and wrists. The grating sound of metal on metal met his ears as the floor began to retract in the centre of the room.

Jake looked around hastily as he backed up against the door he'd been thrown through. There was no handle on the inside and Jake knew better than to try and kick it down. From within the large hole something began to appear. Rising up amongst the sound of whining machinery was a large, metal box. Jake braced himself as the movement finally stopped with a thud that made the walls shiver, dust floated into the air around him as he gingerly took a step forward.

Silence and stillness left every sense on high alert. Circling the new addition to the room Jake made sure to keep his distance. Was he supposed to open the box? Get inside? "What in the hell they playing at now?" he spat.

After a few more moments of nothing happening he moved closer. Reaching out his hand his fingers brushed the cool surface.

Something growled.

Jake felt the shudder of something's guttural warning before the metal beneath his hand suddenly contorted. He leapt back as the growling became an echoing roar. Blow after blow from within the box left a series of misshapen bulges in its side before the entire box began to judder. As if in slow motion Jake watched the walls fall away to reveal the beast inside. He recognised its raw flesh and exposed brain immediately, a BOW commonly known as a 'Licker'.

Jake didn't have to time to wonder just why the hell he'd been locked in a room, unarmed, with a creature like this. Claws tapped against the ground as the Licker leaned back on its hind-legs, preparing to leap. Jake readied himself for the attack. If he was going out today, he would go down swinging.

The jump was perfect, precise, and should have resulted in Jake's head being trapped between drooling jaws. Instead he managed to dive beneath the beast, dodging teeth and claws as his eyes fell on something he hadn't noticed before. A long metal chain was pulled taut from the centre of where the box had stood. Peering over his shoulder as the chain relaxed and rattled against the ground Jake saw the collar it was attached to around the Licker's neck, holding the BOW back and giving Jake just a little space around the very edges of the room that the BOW could not reach.

It was then he also saw the red, blinking lights. One in each corner just like back in the white room.

"So what?" he thought viciously, "They done draining me now?"

Whatever their game was, he wasn't going to make it easy. From the other side of the room the Licker prowled back and forth, seemingly aware of the restrictions the chain around its neck would cause. Jake watched carefully, making sure he was just out of reach with every step. They both paused, waiting for the other to make a move.

Curiously, Jake took a step forward.

The Licker leapt with such speed and force Jake barely had time to retreat, throwing his back to the wall as the BOW was wrenched back mid-jump as the chain reached its limit. Falling to the floor in a heap the creature yelped, twisting as it tried to pull itself free of the collar. Jake smirked. Lickers were some of the smarter forms of BOW, but they were also pack animals. Working off each others instincts to corner their prey. Alone they were much easier to outwit. But he also knew he couldn't keep this up all day, eventually the chain would give or he'd get clumsy. The Licker followed as Jake moved from side to side, weighing up the best way to carry out the plan forming in his mind. Until the monster opened its mouth-wide, exposing enormous teeth as its tongue recoiled. Jake dodged to the side just as the appendage shot past him, hot saliva splattered against the wall as he considered the fact that he didn't have much choice than to just hope for the best.

"What's the old saying, go big or go home?" Jake spoke aloud, earning a frustrated mewl from the creature. "You know," he continued, wondering if he'd finally lost his mind as he watched the Licker tilt its head almost as if it were actually listening, "Just 'cause I'm not wearing one of them," he pointed to the chain being dragged across the floor, "doesn't mean I'm not just as trapped as you bud. So... sorry about this."

With a quick flex of shoulders Jake began to run, sticking as close to the wall as possible as he felt the swipe of claws brush over his side. His eyes glanced over his shoulder as he approached the corner of the room. The Licker was distracted by the chain, having turned its back on Jake as it clawed and pulled in an attempt to break free. Jake couldn't help his triumphant smile. "Perfect." he huffed as he leapt at the wall, using his momentum to gain enough height that he could push away and turn in midair, landing with a grunt on the Licker's exposed back. Without missing a beat Jake grabbed hold of the chain and wound it around the BOWs neck before pulling, holding as tightly as he could while the beast flipped and screeched, trying to shake him loose.

Jake had the wind knocked out of him as it slammed itself into the floor. He felt the hot burn of torn flesh as the tips of its claws reached out, catching Jake on his legs and ribs. He just had to keep holding on... keep squeezing...

Eventually the fight began to slow, the Licker weakening as the chain around its neck cut deep. Jake cursed and prayed, hoping he could ignore the agony of his own body for just a little longer.

With one final spasm the creature slumped to the floor. Jake didn't move, pulling the chain even tighter to make sure the thing wasn't breathing. After a few more minutes he cautiously let go, jumping from its slick back and stumbling out of reach against the wall. He didn't notice the trail of blood he left behind, nor how it smeared against the concrete. His breaths came in short, laboured gasps. Only he didn't have time to gather his senses as the door he had been dragged through earlier opened with a whooshing sound.

"Congratulations Mr Muller," came a familiar voice. Jake peered up as the clicking of heels reached him. The woman from the mountain... he hadn't seen nor heard of her since he woke in this hell hole.

"Piece of cake." he told her with a wave of his hand, the other pressing on the open wound weeping on his side. "Now, you mind telling me what the _fuck_ is going on now?"

As usual Jake was surrounded by guards, all of whom were strangely quieter than normal. Jake realised it was to do with her. It was as if they were afraid.

The woman smirked, crossing her arms over her chest as she regarded him with something almost like... respect? No. The sneer on her face made it clear she felt sheer contempt for him.

"This was a test, of course. We've taken all the samples we need from you. Now I want to see what the son of Albert Wesker is capable of. And I must admit, I'm impressed. You've shown quick-thinking, intelligence and a strength well above that of an average human."

Jake didn't like the way the woman was watching him. He'd seen that cold, hard glint of her eyes in enemies before. He didn't miss the mentioning of his supposed father, but he guessed by the way she was waiting for his response she was expecting him to bite. As much as Jake wanted answers, he was also petty as fuck.

"Oh come on, you're gonna make me blush."

His refusal to engage with her games seemed to annoy her. However, it didn't take long for the faltering smile to return. "Well you've certainly out-performed our other test subject." she replied, the smile on her lips showing the slightest hint of perfect, white teeth as Jake stilled.

Did she mean...

"So that American agent is here too?" he asked, trying to sound barely interested. "I didn't think she made it." he finished with a shrug, wincing as pain shot through his shoulders.

"Oh Miss Birkin is quite resilient, but then I'm sure you already know that."

Jake grit his teeth, feeling the muscles in his jaw twitching. He _really_ didn't like this woman. She was too smart. "Well I'm sure you've more use for her than me, so if you're all done sending me off to Count Docula, I'd like to be on my way. You know, no hard feelings and all that."

He was met with a chuckle. Perfectly manicured fingers moved to her hips where she planted her hands, the red of her nail polish standing out starkly against the dark fabric of her dress. "Is that so?"

From the hallway on the other side of the open door, Jake heard a scream. A piercing, pain-filled sound that made his blood run cold. His face, which he'd been carefully controlling under the scrutiny of this stranger, dropped its facade as his eyes went wide, his lips parting as he suppressed the urge to call out to the voice he recognised.

"It seems Miss Birkin did not fare as well as you. She relies too much on those healing powers of hers. Still, it's fascinating to watch..."

A beat passed between them as Jake felt the ice in his blood turn hot at the sight of the woman's taunting smirk. Even in his injured state Jake was able to jump to his feet, almost closing the gap between them in a heartbeat before he felt a sharp pain on the back of his skull. His target didn't even flinch as he fell to the ground, blood slowly making its way toward her shoe as the skin above his brow broke apart upon impact.

Another figure entered the room, unseen and unheard by Jake who lay motionless. "Must you taunt them so?" said Doctor Archer.

With the flick of her wrist the woman instructed the J'avo to return Jake to his room. She turned on her heel with a throaty laugh that left the doctor with the uncontrollable need to shiver in her presence. The woman was... well, he wasn't sure she was even human.

"Oh come now, I'm just having a little fun. You must admit he's an intriguing subject. He looks so like his father, which isn't all he inherited of course. Yet there's a side to him that surprises me. He wants to know about his father, that's obvious, but... the other one, Sherry Birkin, affected him more than I anticipated."

Archer watched with a grim expression as Jake's body was dragged from the door. "Well, Ms Wong, people are... complex creatures." was all he said, clasping his hands together behind his back. "What would you have done had he not succeeded in defeating his opponent?"

Ada felt something tug in the back of her mind at the mans words. "Yes, people are..." she mumbled before the feeling within her head subsided, "I suppose his corpse would have made an excellent motivator for Miss Birkin. As your wife's did for you, Charles. How are the children by the way? Isn't your daughter attending school soon?"

Her eyes emptied as the doctors face paled, "Y-yes Ms Wong. Tall Oaks..."

Ada's smile was wide and just as void as her eyes as she strode from the room, "I wish her all the best, my dear doctor. Now, you have a patient to fix up."

Archer's hands gripped each other tightly as he tried not to tremble. The memory of his wife, lifeless at his feet, face still streaked with tears as the woman he had begun working for had sighed loudly, tired of all the dramatics as he crumbled to his knees.

" _As I said before," she told him as she circled the wailing man, "all I need from you is a promise. Just a little promise. To obey every order, to treasure every secret as if it were your own... or..."_

_Glancing up he'd seen her eyes fall to the framed family portrait hanging on the wall. "Such a beautiful family... who would have thought it could befall such tragedy..."_

Archer forced his eyes open and stared at the trail of blood leading from the room. He had seen so much blood these last few months. It wouldn't be long now and he would have fulfilled his obligation. He could see his children again and forget that he'd ever had anything to do with the damned C-Virus or Neo-Umbrella. He turned his back to the room and followed the red streaks along the familiar hallways.

Just a little longer.


	12. Chapter 12

The experiment with the Licker was just the beginning. Jake found himself being subjected to a series of 'tests', each one crazier than the last. He'd endured what could only be described as torture as they pushed him to his limits. Exposing him to extreme temperatures, strapping him down as they inflicted a variety of cuts and burns upon him while they monitored his pain response and the rate at which he healed. He had nothing on Sherry, he knew that. But Jake had always known he was a little different, even as a child. He was rarely sick, which was unusual in his home town. He'd broken a few bones in his youth of course, his impulsive nature couldn't be helped, and had always assumed he was lucky they were clean breaks, making them quick to heal without complication.

But as he'd gotten older and been cut, stabbed and shot... he'd noticed how he would often not even notice the wound until after the fight. Once his adrenaline wore off the pain would begin as a dull aching or burning sensation. Again he'd assumed he was just lucky, or that his comrades who were screaming in agony as each bullet was pulled from their flesh were simply weaker than him. His survival of the avalanche made a little more sense, his ribs which were fractured and bruised in numerous places should have left him far more incapacitated than he had been. Now he began to realise that whatever was in his blood held more than just a cure to this 'C-Virus'. It made him... _special_.

Jake grit his teeth as the word crossed his mind, remembering the woman's smirk when she told him. Her smile was one of a predator eyeing its prey. Jake had never killed a person unless he was being paid or in self-defence. It was a rule of his, a twisted attempt at maintaining some sort of moral code by not letting things get personal. But _her_...

Jake glared up at the camera that followed his every move as he spat a mouthful of blood at the ground, lifting his middle finger as he hoped she was the one watching as a scaly, mutated monster writhed at his feet. It squealed as he brought his foot down on what he guessed was the things throat, feeling cartilage being crushed beneath his heel. It trembled and jerked before falling still. Jake pulled at his torn shirt as he turned his back to the camera, using it to clean the putrid mix of blood, spit and sweat from his face as the woman's cold, dead eyes pierced his thoughts. Was she enjoying the show, he wondered.

While he waited for the rabble of armed guards to drag him away he inspected the creature as its flesh began to hiss and bubble. This was another new B.O.W that he'd never seen before. Clearly another failure. It had sloped toward him, clumsy and awkward. Jake had almost felt pity as it seemed to cower from his raised hands. For a second he wondered how it had come to be... had it been a person once, like his former squad who'd been transformed by the injections given to them by his psychopathic jailer?

The thought was fleeting. It didn't matter now. Jake had put the thing out of its misery as quickly as he could.

The usual routine followed each kill. He was hosed down, given fresh clothes and examined. His vitals were monitored, samples taken and wounds photographed and tended to. Then it was back to his cell where he was delivered a surprisingly generous meal before being left once more until it was time for the next 'test'. Jake could feel his mind beginning to break with the endless monotony of it all. Each time the door hissed as it swung open he wondered if it was worth coming back at all. All he'd need to do was stop fighting and it would all be over.

The memory of a scream shattered these thoughts. His questions about Sherry had been ignored, he didn't know if she was still alive or even still in the same building. When he closed his eyes he tried to picture a room lit by a crackling fire, a blizzard raging outside as Sherry stood trying to warm herself by the flames. He remembered how he'd taken her coat from her hands and stitched the fabric back together as she watched, wrapped in his own jacket which he'd offered her.

He'd told himself it was to stop her shivering from distracting him. Jake did not display random acts of chivalry nor did he care for her well-being beyond keeping her alive to receive his payment. He'd also told himself that her appreciative smile meant nothing, that he _hadn't_ felt something stir inside him when she'd pulled the over-sized material tighter. The bumps that appeared on his skin had been from the chill in the air, nothing more.

Except this image would always shift to another cabin in the snow, a hand brushing against his brow as he fought to ignore the closeness of the woman stood over him, wiping away the blood from his brow. Sometimes he wondered if he'd dreamt everything that had happened in that cabin. His own voice would echo back to him, bouncing off the walls as he recalled their time together in the mine. These were the memories that left a bitter taste in his mouth. He tried to forget it all with every sit-up that burned, every lap of the room that left him sweating and exhausted.

If he had just walked away like he'd threatened to do, he might not even be here right now. He could be halfway around the world doing whatever the hell he wanted. Letting the world deal with its own problems while he made bank in the chaos. Just like he'd done his whole life.

Jake collapsed on the bed, breathing hard. He had too much empty time, which meant he found himself thinking too much. Something he avoided doing as a general rule. What was the point? The past held nothing but pain and regret.

It was as this thought crossed his mind that the familiar hiss and whine of the door to his cell opening caught his attention. With a tired groan Jake peered out from beneath the arm he'd folded over his eyes, trying to block out the relentless white. Every muscle in his body tensed as he recognised the sound of heels before even laying eyes on the woman who'd thrown him to the Licker. As always she came flanked with muscle. She gestured for them to stand aside, her face filled with disgust as they dared move too close to her. A few months ago Jake would have been weighing up his chances. He sat up on the bed, swinging his feet onto the floor before leaning forward, one hand resting on his leg while the other twitched at his side as he imagined wrapping his fingers around her throat. He could get to her before a shot would be fired, use her as a shield as he escaped the building...

"How are we feeling today, Mr Muller?"

The woman's drawling voice was just as irritating as he remembered. Jake stretched his arms above his head, smirking as the J'avo tightened their grip on their weapons as their disfigured faces watched him closely.

"Never better." Jake replied, dropping his arms to his lap with a shrug. "I do have one request thought."

The woman gave a thin smile as she raised her eyebrows expectantly. "Oh?"

"Is it too much to ask for a shirt to wear in this place? I mean, evil masterminds are usually rolling in cash. You can't tell me its not in the budget."

She almost laughed, her thin lips parting just enough that Jake saw the point of her tongue running over perfect white teeth. He suppressed the urge to shiver. He hadn't seen much of this mystery woman since his capture, but even now she still gave him the creeps. There was just something _off_ about her.

"Perhaps we will see what we can do to make you more... comfortable." she paused before gesturing behind her, her fingers snapping impatiently before one of her minions appeared with a chair in their grasp. She sat with her ankles crossed to one side, her knee length skirt riding up slightly as she placed one hand over the other in her lap. Despite himself Jake let his eyes wander. He was used to watching people, making a mental assessment of allies and enemies alike. If it weren't for the way she made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end with every cold smile and glint of her dead eyes he might say she was an attractive woman.

"Is there something else that could help with that?" she asked with feigned innocence.

Jake felt his jaw twitch as he clenched his teeth at her mocking tone. "I'm not that desperate." he told her smoothly, unwilling to be toyed with further.

"Yes, you're quite used to isolation aren't you. From the information we gathered you're something of a lone wolf, so why would someone like you be working with a member of the United States Government?"

"All these months and you're just asking me now?"

The woman waved her hand dismissively, "Oh, I already know Miss Birkin's motivations. It just surprises me that you would go along with such a farce. I mean, did you really believe that _you_ could make a difference? A man with your reputation would be... reviled."

Jake knew this was some sort of trap, or perhaps even another twisted mind game. Though what she hoped to gain from this conversation he couldn't yet figure out. With a tilt of his head he tried to appear nonchalant. "Cash. What else is there."

"What else indeed," she hummed to herself. Silence stretched between them, broken only by the groans of the J'avo still hovering at the door. Jake considered for a moment what could have been had the injection he'd administered worked. He too would be a twisted version of himself, barely recognisable and driven mad with blood-lust.

"So do you want to tell me the reason for this little chit chat. I may not have had much in the way of company lately, but honestly, I kind of prefer it that way. No offence."

"You have many things in common with your father, but you certainly lack his charm, I must say."

It took all of Jake's control to remain impassive at the mention of his father. _Wesker_ , that was what she'd called him. Jake had heard the name in whispers only a few times, he was spoken of with reverence... or fear, sometimes both. But Jake still knew nothing other than his father was the reason for his 'special' blood.

"You sound disappointed." Jake quipped. He realised this conversation was a battle itself, a test of wills to see if she could crack his aloof façade. She was enjoying the fact that she had information he wanted. It was a power-trip for her.

"I had expected a little more from the Wesker bloodline, but then again you were raised by your mother after all." she tutted mockingly, "Such a... damaged woman. No wonder she bore such a troubled son. If only she hadn't stolen you away, who knows what you could have become."

He couldn't help the way his hands fisted or how his shoulders began to shake. She knew about his mother, she probably knew all the terrible things that had been done to him... and because of him. She was messing with his head and Jake couldn't allow her to win.

"You know, I really couldn't give a shit about this Wesker and you don't know anything about me lady-"

"I know what happened beneath the mountains. Those poor men trapped in the mines..."

Jake felt bile rise in his throat. How... how did she know so much? Unless...

"Did Sherry tell you?"

The words were out before he could stop them. The narrowing of her eyes told him he'd fallen for her games.

"Would that be a problem?"

Jake shook his head, trying to steal a few more moments to pull himself together. Why would Sherry have told anyone about the collapsed mine shaft... unless she'd had no choice. He eyed the woman, his expression murderous as he considered what they must have done to her...

In response she merely tilted her head to one side, her expression pitying. "Oh, don't be upset. Miss Birkin didn't tell us a thing, in fact she's quite tight-lipped. They've trained her well, or perhaps it was all those years spent as a test subject. We've had to get creative with our own _experimentation_."

Jake knew she'd won. She'd known exactly what to say to get a reaction from him, but he couldn't bring himself to care. All he could hear was the sound of a scream. He tried not to think about what had been done to him, tried not to imagine what they must have been doing to her. The J'avo sensed the change in him, their weapons raised as their mistress laughed lightly.

"I was under the impression your only interest in Miss Birkin was the payment you would receive from her superiors?"

Slowly Jake could feel the blood in his veins calming. His ears were buzzing and in his mind he could picture himself wrapping the hands still tightly clenched before him around the dark-haired woman's neck. It had been a long time since Jake had wanted to kill someone purely to satisfy his anger. The feeling was like lead in his gut. "Seems you know me better than I know myself."

"Men are usually quite predictable creatures. What was it, the blonde hair and big, blue-eyes? You don't strike me as the type to fall for the helpless damsel, it's a good thing Miss Birkin is made of tougher stuff. No pun intended."

Jake remained silent. There was no point playing the fool now. This was just another form of torture he had to endure.

"Perhaps you'd like to tell me about your time after escaping Edonia. We lost you for a time, if it weren't for the avalanche who knows if we'd have been able to pinpoint your location before someone else got their hands on you."

The memory of his time wandering the freezing mountain, being chased through the tunnels and almost being buried alive felt like a distant nightmare. Jake felt his anger dissipate as her words sunk in. It had been his fault they'd been captured. His reckless decision to bring down the mountain to kill the snake-like B. would of course act as a beacon for their location. He was the reason he'd been locked in this cell for months. Why Sherry had to endure more torture.

"So tell me, what caused the second avalanche in the mountains?"

Jake didn't bother to hide the way his shoulders dropped in defeat.

"As I thought. You inherited much from your father, including his penchant for the dramatic and the foolhardy. It's almost as if you have a death wish..."

"Maybe..." he finally spoke, his voice worn and thin.

The amusement in the woman's eyes faded as something within Jake seemed to break. With a sigh she leaned forward, examining Jake with what could have been disgust before slowly rising from her seat. "Perhaps I was wrong. Or perhaps you merely lack your father's arrogance. Either way, you bore me."

Jake watched without a word as she strode from the room, one of her lackeys carrying the chair as they followed. He felt hollow as the door closed behind them. Pressing his fingers against his eyes he felt exhaustion overwhelm him. For the first time he began to feel hopeless.

Laying back on the bed Jake closed his eyes to the glaring light and found himself thankful for the solitude for the first time since his capture. Perhaps this was his penance, his time to atone for the blood that covered his hands. He'd never sought out forgiveness for a thing in his life, there was nothing to feel sorry for when every day was a battle for survival. He didn't believe in gods or signs, fate and destiny. Every shitty thing that had happened was because of a decision made by him.

And he may have been able to make his peace with that, had it been just himself paying the price.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been months, it's been difficult to write for a variety of reasons but I'm slowly back in the flow and Evil Ada is strangely inspiring to write! I've been trying to figure out why Jake would 'soften up' between Edonia and China, and I know this story is straying from game canon somewhat but here's my take on it!
> 
> Next chapter, more Doc Archer, Jake learns more about his father... and possibly their escape begins.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own no rights to the RE franchise. (Do we still have to include this? I started writing fanfiction over ten years ago, don't know if its still necessary!)


	13. Chapter 13

The following few days were uneventful. Other than the door opening to slide his food across the floor toward him, Jake was left alone. His sleep was fitful and time passed achingly slow. Jake tried to keep up with some sort of routine to keep his mind occupied. If we wasn't exercising he was reciting passages from books he'd read long ago, trying to remember every detail. In his mind he practised the new language he was becoming familiar with, not wanting to speak aloud and tip off whoever was watching that he was able to understand most of what was being said. So It took him by surprise when the doors opened and another familiar figure stepped inside.

"Hey Doc," Jake greeted flatly, not bothering to rise from his lounging position on the bed. "You here to throw me to some new beastie you've been working on, or just drain the blood out of me."

The older man looked tired, Jake noted. Doctor Archer fiddled with his glasses for a moment before replying, "Bone marrow actually."

Jake grimaced, "What the hell is it with you people. How does a person grow up to be a mad fucking scientist, you fill in one of those questionnaires in school? Banker, carpenter... Doctor Frankenstein." He didn't miss the small flinch Archer gave before he clenched his hands together behind his back, rocking slightly on the balls of his feet.

"I merely carry out my duties as requested."

"Whatever you say." Jake shrugged. He knew most of the evil in the world wasn't carried out by people who were inherently cruel or selfish. Most people were just doing what needed to be done to survive. He of all people knew this better than most.

Jake stood and allowed himself to be led from his cell, down a winding set of brightly lit hallways to a familiar set of rooms. The smell of disinfectant was strong and burned the back of his throat. The J'avo took up their usual positions by the door while Archer pointed him to a steel gurney. Jake ignored the monitors and shiny instruments that surrounded him. What could be gained by fighting now? He might be able to use the scalpel to cut a few throats but he'd soon be gunned down.

As he sat on the cold plastic covered edge of the gurney Jake wondered how long this would go on for. Did they plan to keep him alive, or would they kill him eventually? A few weeks ago the thought would have set his blood pumping as his survival instincts kicked it, but recently Jake found himself lacking his usual fighting spirit.

"If you could sit back, we can administer the anaesthetic and have this over with." Archer told him, appearing at his side looking weary.

Jake hesitated before nodding and doing as instructed, the plastic covering squeaking in the silence of the room as he shifted his position. Something occurred to Jake then, as the doctor paused before gesturing for someone else to enter the room. Jake glanced at the masked figure before turning his attention back to Archer. "You not having a good time? At least you're not the one turned into a human guinea pig"

The half-smile was empty as Archer fixed the restraints on Jake's wrists and ankles, "It's my daughter's birthday today..." he began quietly, trailing off as if he'd forgotten he was even speaking to someone else in the room.

"Ah, a family man. What do they make of your career choices?"

Archer fixed Jake with a steely look, his eyes glinting angrily before clouding over with sadness. His mouth opened slightly before snapping shut as he glanced at the J'avo at the door. Jake realised he was not only prisoner here.

As a mask was placed over his face and a sickly sweet scent made his head swim Jake made sure to tuck away that particular piece of information for a later date. All this time he'd assumed if he was to make an escape, it would have to be alone. But knowing there were others who were probably just as trapped... he just might have a few allies.

The room began to spin as Jake allowed his eyes to slide closed. But not before the doors to the room swung open, revealing a flash of something that tugged at his foggy memory. More J'avo strode down the hall, but between them was the figure of a woman he recognised. The moment was fleeting, Jake wondered if it was even real or just some trick his drug-addled mind was playing on him. But he was sure for a second she looked straight at him, eyes widening as her mouth moved to call his name before being pushed from his sight.

Darkness overcame him and the image of Sherry's frightened expression was replaced by nothingness.

* * *

The urge to vomit was the first thing Jake was aware of when he woke. The second was the pain emanating from his back, which only intensified the need to throw up. Cracking open one eye he felt light pierce his brain like a hot knife. He shut them tight against the glare, his mouth dry as he tried to swallow down the rising bile. He couldn't quite remember where he was, why he was in so much pain... until blue shot across his mind.

"Sherry?" he tried to say, but his voice was nothing more than a hoarse groan.

He remembered... the room that smelled of disinfectant, Archer standing over him...

Jake wasn't sure how long he laid there, at some point he must have drifted off to sleep again as the feeling of movement and cool air on his bare chest pulled back to reality. He was being wheeled back to his cell, the J'avo pushing him roughly through the corridors so that he bounced off each corner. Jake swore loudly, earning him a warning punch with the hilt of a machete. After entering his cell he was roughly unbound and dumped none-too-gently on his bed. Jake hissed with pain, gritting his teeth as he refused to show it to the freakshows in the room.

And then he was alone once more, except this time Jake didn't feel the wave of hopelessness that had haunted him since his talk with his sociopathic captor. Instead something hot and familiar began to ignite in his gut, a feeling he knew well. Rage.

But he would need to be patient, to work on every weak link he could find. And if there was one thing he was sure of it was that he would not be leaving this hellhole alone. He would not leave Sherry behind.

* * *

_Elsewhere..._

Sherry paced her small room, tuning out the sound of the monitors and the sight of her own reflection in the two-way mirror. She pulled at the gown she'd been dressed in, trying not to think about the people watching her on the other side. Sometimes she would simply sit on the toilet with the curtain pulled shut just to give herself a few moments of privacy, to stop the feel of prying eyes watching her every move. She'd counted how long it took for someone to then push open the door, demanding in broken English that she pull back the curtain. Four and a half minutes had been the longest.

Her mind at that moment was too preoccupied with thoughts of what she'd seen whilst being returned to her room. She was sure it had been Jake strapped to the gurney, a mask obscuring his face. But she'd seen the deep scar that ran across his cheek in those few seconds the doors had swung open. And he'd seen her, she was certain of it.

Idly her hands traced the non-existent wounds that had already healed, although she could still feel the ghostly sting of the needles that made her skin crawl and itch. She wondered what their intentions were with Jake. Surely they'd have already taken everything they needed from his blood already? Her heart sank as she considered the ramifications of her failure. Not only was the only hope of providing the world with a vaccine gone whilst Jake was in captivity, but with his blood and hers a whole new strain of B. could be unleashed. She'd already seen the effects of their experiments first-hand. Sherry closed her eyes as the memory of the creature she'd been locked up with crept into her mind. That thing existed because of her. And because of her father. There was so much blood on her hands...

Some time later, after much pacing, she heard the familiar twist of the lock in the door and felt dread flood through her. Again, already?

A familiar man entered, averting his gaze before offering her a simple cotton dressing gown.

"Doctor Archer... how are you today?" Sherry tried to sound as welcoming as possible as she took the gown and secured it tightly at her waist.

His hair was unkempt and his beard longer than usual. Sherry was almost concerned by his ragged appearance, until she remembered he was in charge of her 'treatments'.

"Quite well, quite well. Yourself? How are you feeling after your procedure?"

The lie was obvious but they both ignored it. Archer pulled out one of the chairs tucked beneath a desk under the mirror and took a seat. Sherry hesitated before doing the same. She'd learned a long time ago that it was pointless to rebel. To seem amenable was often the smarter play.

"A little sore." Sherry told him, which was the truth. Her healing powers cured any wound, but the effort it took her body to regrow skin, muscle, tissue and bone took its toll. It was the ones inside her head that took the longest to stop. She could still feel the cut of a knife at the base of her skull...

"I'm sorry about that," Archer told her kindly, and against her better judgement Sherry believed him. She had known plenty of doctors and scientists who looked at her like a toy to be explored, speaking over her as if she couldn't hear what a "fascinating specimen" she was. But Doctor Archer had never looked at her like that. In fact the first time they laid eyes on each other she could almost have believed she saw his eyes grow wet behind those glasses of his. He would often spend extra time sitting with her after her treatments. It was how Sherry had come to learn a little about him, enough to make small talk.

"How's your daughter?" Sherry asked quietly, aware that they were probably being listened to, "Isn't it her birthday soon? It must be summer by now..."

Archer's shoulders relaxed as the hint of a smile crossed his face, "Yes, although I haven't been able to speak to her for some time. Certain privileges of mine have been... never mind."

Sherry fidgeted with the hem of her gown as Archer cleared his throat loudly, realising she needed to choose her next line of questioning _very_ carefully. She could see the man in front of her was crumbling, but if she pushed too hard he'd break. Or worse, someone would see through her attempts to make idle chit chat.

She'd come to the conclusion that Archer would be her only source of information. Sherry believed he held some sort of softness in his heart toward her, and could only assume it was the misplaced affection of a father without his own child. Slowly, she'd gathered what information she could, but there had been little that was of any use. But as he tiredly opened the file that had been tucked beneath his arm Sherry decided she couldn't drag this out much longer. Not if Jake was still alive and nearby...

"Doctor Archer... did I see you earlier today, in the labs?"

He made a noncommittal 'hmm' sound in his throat as he ran his thumb over the text, tilted just enough to keep it hidden from Sherry's sight.

"And... Jake. I saw him too, didn't I?"

His hand stopped as he glanced at her over the top of his glasses. Sherry didn't think he was going to respond until he shot a warning glance at the mirror before shrugging.

"I also attend Mr Muller's medical procedures, yes."

Sherry felt relief and delight flood through her, although she was careful not to show it. "So he's okay?" she asked, her heart thundering in her chest.

"Mr Muller is... in peak physical condition. Medically speaking."

Sherry nodded, silently wondering if the Doctor was trying to hint at something being wrong in a non-medical sense. "Are we both undergoing the same treatments?"

The folder was closed and placed on the empty desk beside them with a strangely loud snap. Sherry realised she'd been leaning forward in her seat and immediately sat upright, a jolt of something that warned her she was pushing too hard running up her spine. She felt the atmosphere change between them as Archer regarded her closely. "That would be classified."

"Of course," Sherry nodded. "I'm just... concerned. He looked..."

"Mr Muller is already recovering in his room. Now, would you like to go over the rota for tomorrow? It's been requested we repeat some of our previous procedures."

Sherry shook her head as hope turned to fear. It was best not to know what horror awaited her, she'd long-ago decided.

"Very well, I shall see you bright and early Miss Birkin." Archer stood as he picked up the file of papers, tapping it against the desk before nodding his head in farewell. Sherry frowned. This was not how their reviews usually went...

"I hope you're able to speak to your daughter again soon, Doctor Archer." She told him softly, unsure if he'd even heard her until he fixed her with an unreadable stare before dropping his eyes to the floor. He turned to leave, mumbling as he went. Sherry remained were she sat as the door closed and locked behind him, taking deep steadying breaths as she tried to figure out why this meeting had felt so... unusual.

It was then she spotted it. A piece of folded paper beneath the desk that must have slipped free from his folder without either of them noticing.

Sherry froze. Judging by the angle of the room beneath the desk was a blind spot from the camera and the mirror. She'd have to figure out a way to retrieve it without arousing suspicion.

Tucking the chair away she began to stretch, grateful for the robe that offered her more cover than the hospital gown, even as it rode up her thighs. An idea struck her.

Sherry carefully pushed aside the bed in the middle of the room, giving her a little more space to really stretch out. She worked through a set of gentle exercises, hoping whoever was watching would grow bored with her display and not bother paying her too much attention as she eyed the paper. Eventually she lay on the ground, knowing she'd angled the bed as best she could to hide her from sight as she began to count out her push ups. She'd reached twenty when she decided to go for it. As she lifted herself from the ground one hand darted to the side, snatching the paper before tucking it clumsily beneath her stomach.

Sherry continued the count... waiting...

There was no movement from the other side of the door.

Finishing her set she allowed herself to rest for a few seconds before pushing herself onto her knees. She could feel the sharp edge of the paper against her skin as she prayed she'd moved quickly enough to not be seen tucking it into her gown.

With as much normalcy as possible Sherry carefully pulled herself to her feet, aware that the paper could slip free with any clumsy or misjudged movement, and headed toward the only source of privacy within the room. Pulling shut the curtain around the toilet Sherry sat, her fingers shaking as she reached inside her gown. What if this was nothing, just something the Doctor had dropped by mistake? Sherry could barely bring herself to hope as she opened the paper and let her eyes examine what could be the first sign she wasn't only among enemies in her prison...

Her heart thundered, the paper creasing as she gripped it tight. Memorising what was on it Sherry realised she only had a few minutes until a guard would be checking on her. She couldn't risk them finding the note. Ripping her only lifeline into small pieces she began dropping them into the toilet. Gathering her nerves she flushed before emerging back into the room and headed toward her bed. Laying down she closed her eyes and tried to calm the beating of her heart, grateful that she wasn't wired up to the monitors for a change. Having her racing heartbeat would be a dead giveaway something was going on-

Sherry almost smiled to herself as she realised the reason her liaison with Archer had seemed different was that he _hadn't_ taken a measure of her vitals or administered the usual mass of wires and instruments on her body. For the first time in months Sherry felt something other than the crushing sense of despair and failure that had haunted her. She felt... hope.


	14. Chapter 14

The woman who had been calling herself Ada Wong pressed two perfectly painted fingers to the bridge of her nose, sighing as the human-B.O.W hybrid grunted its way through its latest report.

The J'avo had been a mistake, but one she had been able to use to her advantage. With their eroding humanity came a pack-like mentality, they were more animal than human even without spouting hideously mutated limbs. They needed a leader to keep them from going feral, and Ada was more than capable of keeping them in line.

With a flick of her wrist she dismissed the J'avo from her sight and released an exasperated sigh. "Oh Archer, what have you been up to?" she asked the empty room, turning to peer from the large window adorned with satin curtains. There was a perfect view of the immaculate gardens below, only spoiled by the guards pacing back and forth. The beauty above was such a contrast to the horrors below ground. 'Ada' smiled as she considered the irony. What was on the surface could never be taken as truth...

Which was the case, it seemed, for all her recent subjects. Including Doctor Archer.

Perhaps she'd been naïve to believe the threat against his family would have been enough to keep him in line. She'd thought it had been demonstrated on several occasions that she was a woman of her word who did not take betrayal well. Her mind was already filled ideas of retribution. She would not be taken for a fool, not by any man. Not again.

For now she needed to formulate a new plan. If Archer was slipping information to Sherry Birkin she'd have to be sure he hadn't already done the same with Muller. Perhaps she could teach them all a lesson. Three birds, one stone.

Archer would have to go regardless, which was a shame since he was a brilliant doctor and researcher. She had also been keen to see his reaction when he saw what his work had achieved. The Ada lookalike had already supplied Simmons with the new strain of C-Virus of course, since she wasn't ready for him to know that she was no longer his play-thing. It would have been a delight to see the good doctor's face when he saw the news reports of a familiar infection taking over Tall Oaks. She did enjoy a good twist. It was shame, she thought to herself as she turned from the window and moved to her dresser, her fun was spoiled.

Perhaps instead she could torment the knock-off version of Wesker in her basement. Jake had been easier to get to than she'd anticipated. For all his bravado he was a fragile creature, like most of the male species, she thought with a grimace. Ada pulled a freshly cleaned dress and matching heels from the dresser and tossed them on the large four poster bed. The knowledge that his own blood was responsible for a super virus that would decimate humanity might just break the poor boy entirely. Those broad shoulders carried more guilt than Jake Muller would ever admit. It shouldn't take much more to take him to the edge.

It was what to do with him _after_ that was still troubling her. She was happy to let Simmons begin to wash the world clean, but she needed to be the one with the power when all was done. Muller's DNA would play a part in that. As would Birkin's.

Ada had kept her distance from Sherry. There was something about the blue eyed woman that left her unsettled. Perhaps the knowledge that Sherry was just as much a victim of Simmons' mind games and betrayal as she had once been... could it be that she actually had some humanity left?

Laughing out loud she dismissed the thought. There was no room for humanity in the new world.

As she dressed an idea popped into her head, a potential solution to her newest problem whilst also offering up what would surely be an afternoon of amusement. The reflection of her mirror smiled back at her. "Well, _Ada_... best get back to work."

* * *

Sherry wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed, but she knew it had been at least a day since Archer's visit to her room. One of the J'avo had placed her breakfast on the table and left without even glancing in her direction. Sherry had tried to make small talk with the guards shortly after her capture, she knew they understood her, they simply refused to acknowledge her presence unless taking her from her room to the lab. It was clear that they were under instruction not to engage with her. It must come on in handy, Sherry considered, to have B. that could follow orders like that.

After circling the room for what could have been the thousandth time Sherry shot a worried look at the two-way mirror, wondering if there was even anyone on the other side. Archer had told her she was due a procedure early in the morning. There must have been a reason for the delay, they never missed a treatment. Sherry wasn't sure if this was a sign of something good or...

Is this what the note had meant? The words 'be ready' had been scrawled at the top of a printed map of the facility, a pathway to a series of ventilation shafts messily highlighted. Was whatever Archer had planned going to be happening so soon?

Eventually she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. The sight of the door swinging open usually filled her with fear at whatever horror she was being taken to endure next, but for now she felt relief. Except it wasn't the doctor that entered her room. Armed J'avo gestured and pointed for her to follow them. Sherry complied, her heart thumping erratically as she followed after them.

It wasn't unusual for Archer to be waiting in the labs rather than escorting her himself. Perhaps his plan would begin after the J'avo had left them unattended, as Archer would sometimes instruct them to do during the more invasive treatments. In her mind Sherry pictured the map, plotting out key points that she recognised to help guide her during her escape. If she was correct, the locker room he'd circled was just down the hall-

Sherry's thoughts were interrupted when she was roughly pulled through a door she'd not been through before. Bare, concrete steps led to a cold hallway. Wherever she was, it wasn't the labs she was used to. Footsteps echoed around them as they travelled deeper, the ground beginning to slope in a way that reminded Sherry of the icy mines. Sherry thought of Jake. She needed to speak to Archer, to know that Jake was in on whatever plan he'd formed. Even if the plan was successful she wouldn't be able to call for help in time before whoever was running these labs moved him elsewhere, or worse.

Which also left Sherry with a problem. If Jake didn't make it... could she leave without him?

The twist and drop of her stomach told her No. But she also knew the reason wasn't just because it was her job as an agent to protect and deliver him to her bosses.

Sherry wondered, if the tables were turned, would Jake come for her?

Heavy steel doors loomed before them, and all thoughts of escape left Sherry's mind. This couldn't be right. Why would Archer bring her down here?

Two J'avo stood either side of the doors and swiped their IDs in synchronicity. A light above them flickered, a camera whirred and fixed on them before the doors began to groan. They pulled back into the walls with a grinding screech that pierced the air. Beyond them was another corridor, but this one was not filled with echoing silence.

The screech of the doors had in fact come from something within that room. Locked behind another reinforced door somewhere to the left. On the right Sherry could hear growls that made her hair stand on end. The corridor was lined with them, more doors that hid their contents from view but couldn't block out the nightmarish sounds from within. Her legs felt like they would crumble as the J'avo roughly pushed her forward. Sherry's blood ran cold as she kept her eyes fixed forward as they made their way up a stairway, stopping frequently to pass security checks. She soon became aware of the cameras that followed her every move.

The noise from the creatures below faded as they entered what looked like an observation room. The room was empty. The floor stepped down to create a platform which featured a window that filled the wall. Sherry stared at the darkness beyond it, sure that she could see something moving in the shadows.

Another nudge from the J'avo left Sherry stumbling. By the time she steadied herself she realised she'd been left alone, the door behind her locking with a series of thuds and metallic creaks.

She didn't want to look, but Sherry knew whatever the purpose was for her being here was behind that window. She took a breath, forcing one foot in front of the other. Why would they feel the need to showcase yet another monster to her like this? It had been months since they'd locked her in a cell with one of their test creations, taking data not just on what power the G-Virus had bestowed upon her but on how their latest B.O.W fared in a fight against it. For one terrible second Sherry considered that it might even be Jake behind that window...

" _Thank you for joining us, Miss Birkin_."

A voice made her start, a small shriek escaping her as Sherry's eyes landed on the speakers fixed on the wall. The voice that echoed through sounded strange and disjointed, like it was being purposefully disguised.

" _I apologise for your wait today, but we had a few last minute changes in schedule. It seems there has been insurrection in our midst. A plot to overthrow all the hard work and sacrifice carried out in the name of evolution_."

"No..." Sherry breathed, her eyes widening.

What she'd begun to fear... that was why she was here. The doctor... the note...

Light filled the room, making Sherry blinked as she backed away from the window until her back hit the cold wall. But there was no way to miss the oversized, grotesque form that began to thrash and scream against its bindings in the blinding light. Muscles that bulged and split, hands that had been stretched into claws... an eye protruding from a shoulder that swivelled uncontrollably until it landed on her.

The scream was caught in her throat as she gagged. For a second it wasn't Archer's disfigured face that turned to her, but her fathers.

She didn't realise the question had fallen from her lips, repeating like a mantra, until the voice began to speak again.

" _Why? Because I thought this was a fitting fate for the man who thought to betray me. Don't you see the irony? Archer was tortured, of course. He kept us busy today. His guilt over a few little experiments became too much for him. Add you to the mix,_ " the voice spat, growing bitter, " _you who reminded him of his precious daughter, and Archer broke. This just seemed... poetic, don't you agree?_ "

At some point Sherry realised she had crumpled against the wall, sliding down so her knees were pressed against her chest as she took shallow, shuddering gasps.

" _We shan't be letting this opportunity go to waste however_."

Sherry stopped breathing altogether when she noticed more movement in the room, a door opening behind the chained figure of what had once been Doctor Archer. Sherry stared, disbelieving as another form was pushed into the room.

She was on her feet in seconds, leaping to the platform and running to the window to beat uselessly against it as she saw Jake's face twist from revulsion to confusion as he recognised the beast in front of him. Sherry wasn't sure he could hear or even see her until his eyes landed on hers, widening even further as he called her name.

"What are you doing?" Sherry demanded of the bodiless voice, "Why? You've punished Archer, you've punished me. Why bring Jake into this?"

For a moment she didn't think she would receive an answer until the speakers crackled overhead, a silent few seconds feeling like an hour as Sherry watched Jake back away from swiping claws.

" _All in the name of the betterment of the world_."

Sherry didn't know what to make of the reply she was given before the sound of static disappeared, telling Sherry whoever she'd spoken with was done with talking. Simultaneously the chains holding Archer back were suddenly dropped to the floor with a clanging thud. Sherry could hear the cursing coming from Jake before a roar drowned him out. Her eyes searched the empty room, her hands feeling the edges of the window as she prayed to find a weakness. She knew it was hopeless, but to stand and watch was unbearable.

There was nothing she could do. Archer had been forced to suffer an unthinkable fate all because Sherry had stirred up some residue of fatherly instinct. He was just another victim left in the wake of destruction of the Birkin legacy. And Jake... 

Jake was going to die right in front of her. Sherry screamed, her fists pummelling the reinforced glass until she felt her skin split and re-heal, leaving her blood smeared across it. 

_There was nothing she could do_...


	15. Chapter 15

There had been no explanation as to why Jake had been given an armed escort from his room. He'd simply woken confused and sore before being surrounded by J'avo and roughly shoved down the halls. Dread had flooded through him. It had been months since he'd seen these particular metal doors. He'd paused only to feel the blow of something metal and hard between his shoulders. It had stolen his breath and his senses just long enough for the J'avo to strongarm him through the door.

It was no surprise to Jake to find himself locked in the room with yet another beast. He wondered if this was a test for him, or the BOW that had jerked upright and screamed into the otherwise empty room. As it twisted Jake took in the torn clothing, the exposed muscle and the enormous twisting eyeball protruding from its shoulder. He then spotted the patchy grey tufts of hair atop what looked a comically disfigured head compared to the rest if its bulging body. And then the eyes. Familiar, human eyes that looked at him with a glazed, hungry expression.

Archer.

Jake stepped back, feeling the coolness of the door against his bare shoulders as the former doctor began taking desperate swipes in his direction. The chains were pulled taught as he roared and Jake released a string of his own curses in response. So they were back to this old game, he thought darkly. He didn't know how or why Archer had landed himself such a demotion, but it wasn't any of Jake's concern now. Not that he could have much pity for the man who been harvesting his bone marrow only twenty-four hours ago.

He knew the drill. Only one of them would be leaving this room alive.

Something else caught his attention then. Behind what had once been the doctor was a window, and what was on the other side left Jake frozen to the spot.

Sherry. Her eyes wide with terror as her fists beat the glass that didn't even tremble under her onslaught. He called out her name as if in disbelief that she was so close after all this time until the sound of metal hitting the ground reached him, making every hair on his body stand on end in warning.

Archer reared up, free of the restraints that had been holding him back, stretching his clawed arm back as he prepared to charge. Jake dove to the side, hissing as he hit the cold concrete and rolled onto his knees. The claw that had been aiming for him gauged deep lines into the wall as Jake looked desperately around the room. Other than the chains that were now coiled on the ground there was nothing. Slowly Archer turned, the enormous eye that had sprouted from his shoulder whirled uncontrollably until it settled on Jake's crouched figure.

Behind the window Sherry continued to yell and to pound against the glass. She didn't know what her goal was, maybe to distract the B.O.W. Maybe to feel like there was something she _could_ do.

As Jake dived to evade another swipe of deadly claws Sherry spun to examine the room she was trapped in. The blinking red light above the door told her she was locked inside yet still she ran toward it, pushing uselessly as the face of two J'avo appeared in the small window. It snapped at her, something she didn't understand but she knew meant for her to stop. Sherry moved toward the speakers instead. Whoever had set up this little game would surely still be watching, why else go to all this trouble to torture them like this?

A blurry memory of the cabin's wall exploding around her swam before her. She'd seen J'avo and that giant BOW that had been after Jake. She'd then seen a smaller figure, a woman, she'd been sure. But the explosion had left her head spinning and her eyes unable to focus. Her ears had rang up until she'd felt something heavy against her temple and lost consciousness. She was sure whoever was at the other end of that speaker was the woman in the snow.

"What do you want?" Sherry cried, "You want me to suffer? Why? Why risk killing Jake?"

The silence was like a knife to her chest. Sherry couldn't stop herself glancing back toward the observation window. Jake was struggling, she could see he looked exhausted. Bruises marred his chest and back as he crouched low, eyes fixed on Archer as they glinted dangerously. Jake would not go down without giving it his all, but eventually he would grow too tired to keep dodging Archer's clumsy attacks.

"I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry about the note. I didn't ask Archer to do that, _please_. Please just stop."

Static filled the air and Sherry's heart leapt with hope.

Laughter made her blood run cold as she stumbled toward the window, falling against it as her legs began to shake and her chest ached.

" _You think this is about you? Sweet,_ stupid _girl. I'm teaching you a lesson here."_

What lesson could Sherry possibly learn from watching Jake being ripped apart by the same creature her father had mutated into all those years ago. Sherry could feel every piece of strength and training draining from her as she watched that creature circling the room, roaring in frustration. It was like the child inside her had never grown. Sherry realised there were tears on her cheeks as her hands came to rest upon the blood stained glass. She was still that little girl who needed saving, that could do nothing to help the people around her except be used as a weapon to brandish or a weakness to exploit.

She'd been so naïve to think she could actually make a difference. To be able to make up for all the damage and all the loss.

" _I wanted to make it clear who has the power here. At my whim I can do anything I want at any time. I know all, I see all."_

Sherry felt the rising scream in her throat. Who were these people who played with life so easily? Sherry had lived her life in a cage. Even as a child she spent her time isolated in her room, told not to bother mummy and daddy while they worked. Her teens were lost to captivity, her twenties to a training regime that sought to turn her into another mindless soldier in exchange for a mockery of freedom. Sherry heard the scream turn into laughter. A cold sound she didn't recognise as her own voice left her mouth.

"So do it. Kill me. Kill us all."

She wasn't sure what she was saying. All she knew was that she was tired. _So damn_ _tired_ of being used and controlled. If her faceless captor wanted to play games, Sherry was done.

The static encircled her, drawing out the seconds as Jake jumped and rolled before springing up beside the window. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments before he was forced to duck and slide across the ground. Sherry just felt cold and hopeless. She'd failed her mission and their only hope of escape was gone. Maybe Jake would die right now in front of her. Maybe she would be killed too.

" _...Isn't it freeing..."_

The voice over the speaker was barley audible, Sherry actually wondered if it had been meant for her to hear.

" _The freedom from fear; from living. This is what the future could look like... no more pain..."_

Sherry didn't respond. She remained staring blankly through the window, prepared for the inevitable horror she was about to witness. She'd heard plenty of insane ranting in her life, most of it coming from her own parents. What freedom could possibly come from the monsters that still haunted her dreams? If the acceptance of death, of her own utter helplessness, was freedom than Sherry could never be considered anyone's prisoner ever again.

The giant eye on Archer's shoulder swivelled from Jake and landed on the window. No... on her. Sherry felt electricity shooting through her body. For a second that eye wasn't grey, it was blue, and it looked into her soul and saw the quivering child who screamed for her daddy.

Sherry didn't move when when the claws came down upon the glass, cracking it like eggshell. It was only the sound of Jake's voice trying to lure the monster away from her that snapped Sherry back to reality.

She wasn't a child anymore. Her father was long dead.

And she had an idea.

Even as Jake tried to lure Archer's attention away from the window that shook and splintered Sherry stepped forward with total calm. She stared into that eye and saw something other than the BOW staring back. There it was... the slightest hint of recognition, of humanity. Sherry sought out what remained of Archer's face and witnessed the twisted emotions fighting there. Human vs monster.

Sherry caught sight of Jake about to pounce as alarms began to scream around them. She held up a hand, making him freeze in place as the look on her face told him she knew what she was doing. He didn't. He couldn't have known what was happening silently between the beast and the woman in front of him. Some shared primal connection within their DNA. Sherry could feel it in her blood and her bones. The whisper of something decidedly _unhuman_ within her despite what her appearance might suggest.

She didn't need to speak for Archer to know what she was asking. Sherry could feel it too, radiating from him. Pain, misery... fear. But they could help each other. Archer could do one last good thing before succumbing fully to the virus.

Sherry moved back. The doors opened and J'avo spilled into the room as Archer ran at the window between them, his head and shoulders breaking through the glass as he howled. Hitting the floor to avoid the onslaught of bullets Sherry didn't watch him pull his way through the glass, ignoring how it sliced at his flesh as claws dug into the ground and allowed him to break through. The J'avo were panicked. Some turned and fled, others moved in and unleashed their firepower with a madness bordering on suicidal.

Archer was through the window and in the room, swiping his claws at anything he could as Sherry leapt to her feet and shouted for Jake.

He was already following through the window. The open door was right there, unguarded and waiting for them.

They wasted no time.

They ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait. This was my second attempt at this chapter, I just ran out of inspiration. We'll be making our way through China next, meeting up with Leon and Helena and of course, back to the sexual tension between these two...


	16. Chapter 16

Neither was sure who had taken the others hand first, but together they ran past J'avo who were screaming orders at each other and jumped the metal steps two at a time. Reinforcements were on their way and Jake stepped in front of Sherry as their enemies appeared at the foot of the stairs, pointing their guns directly at them and demanding they surrendered. At least that's what Sherry assumed all the gesturing was about. Jake hissed and said something back to them and Sherry found herself impressed by how well he had picked up their language.

Sherry saw the muscles in his back begin to shift as he prepared to attack bare-handed. She placed a hand on his shoulder as she felt her skin prickle as the sound of enormous, heavy footsteps echoed toward them.

"Tell them to run. Tell them its coming for them and they've got about ten seconds to clear out or die like the others."

Jake did as she instructed without question and most of the J'avo began to back away. The sound of wet screams and an animalistic roar echoed the hallways, making the stairs themselves rattle. It was all it took.

"We need their IDS, at least two!" Sherry told Jake as she realised they would be trapped in the halls if the J'avo made it through the door without them.

"On it." Jake nodded.

Sherry wasn't about to let him play the saviour, however. As Jake caught up with the nearest J'avo and took him down with one swift blow Sherry moved by them before sliding across the ground and taking out the legs of her target. She twisted, grabbing the stun-rod that the J'avo had dropped and brought it down on his masked face ruthlessly.

They each grabbed an ID card as the the bodies began to hiss and burn, filling the air around with the stench of decay. Standing tall she caught the way Jake looked at her but didn't have time to analyse the glint in his eyes as she then spotted Archer at the very top of the stairway.

" _Fuck_!" Jake bellowed.

Ahead of them the doors were already closing.

"We can make it!" Sherry called over her shoulder. Jake could have easily overtaken her since he was the faster of the two, yet he would make sure Sherry made it first. The gap between the doors was closing fast and they both almost lost their footing as the ground trembled. Archer had leapt from the stairs and landed on strong legs that were now bounding toward them.

Sherry felt her heart pound as she reached the doors. She slid through, feeling it catch at her shoulders as she stumbled and turned to make sure Jake was behind her. He was forced to turn his shoulders and pull himself through clumsily, falling to the floor as claws reached out-

The doors closed, breaking off the talons with a sickening crunch.

Sherry knelt beside Jake as his head fell back against the floor. They were both panting as relief and adrenaline flooded through them. They barely had time to grin at each other as the celebrated their escape before more alarms began to sound and heavy pounding left multiple dents in the doors.

"Is that secure?" Jake hissed as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Sure hope so," Sherry replied, "What are they saying?" she gestured to the voice that was now bellowing loud enough to made her ears ache.

"I'll give you one guess. Come one, we gotta get out of here."

Sherry nodded before realising they wouldn't get far without her gear. She had no way to make contact with her superiors or call for backup. As she led the way down the halls she explained their predicament to Jake who growled in frustration.

"Fine. First your gear, then we split."

"And maybe find a change of clothes too."

Jake was about to argue that they weren't on their way to a fashion show until he took in the gown that Sherry was adorned in. In all the mayhem he hadn't paid much attention to the outfit. He also didn't realise Sherry was watching him as he looked her up and down. Her cheeks coloured and she tried not to feel embarrassed. She'd gotten used to the scraps of material that barely kept her covered since the J'avo hadn't batted an eyelid at her appearance. Apparently any lustful urges were eradicated once they'd been infected - or so Archer had reassured her. Their instincts to breed and to mate were entirely different to that of a regular human. Sherry hadn't asked for more details and of course Archer was always kind enough to bring her a robe whenever possible. Her near-nakedness hadn't been a problem.

Sherry pushed away the sense of sadness and regret at the doctors fate as she thought of him. Jake saw the way her expression shifted and averted his gaze with a mumbled apology, mistaking her sorrow for annoyance at his lingering gaze. 

"This is modest compared to some of the things I've had to wear, all in the name of science apparently." Sherry shuddered at the memory of her teenage self being handed a thin gown not unlike the one she wore now. It may have been easier for a sixteen year old to handle had the people that examined her had the same nature as the J'avo... 

"I'm just impressed you can fight in that." Jake told her as they leant against a wall whilst Sherry peered around the corner to check that it was clear.

It was empty. The lack of security was making her nervous. Had the J'avo fled? Or had they been called elsewhere to ambush them perhaps?

Sherry shrugged off his compliment, "You think it's easier to fight in a winter coat and boots than when you're naked?"

"I guess you'll take the enemy by surprise. It'd be quite the distraction," Jake smirked.

Sherry wasn't sure if he was making an observation or offering her some sort of compliment. She chose to let it go over her head without comment. They had bigger things to worry about right now then their state of undress.

"Archer gave me a map of the facility, that's why... that's why they did that to him. Because he was trying to help me." Sherry began to explain, continuing on as Jake opened his mouth to say something before closing it with a grim expression, "I can remember a way out through the locker rooms. There's an emergency escape in one of them."

"Well hopefully we'll find some clothes there. Do you know where it leads?"

"A storage area, I think. But that's where the map ended."

"Great. I just love surprises. Especially after months of..."

Sherry approached a door that she was sure led to the first set of lockers as Jake trailed off. If she was remembering correctly they could cut through to the next part of the building. Maybe that was where all the J'avo had gathered; on the outer perimeter to stop their escape. They'd have to remain on guard and try and find some weaponry soon.

"Months of what, exactly?" she asked as she gingerly pushed open the door. There was no movement inside. Jake stepped through first and gestured for her to wait while he swept the room. Sherry wondered if he was going to answer when he reappeared and motioned that it was safe before opening the lockers in search of something more suitable for their escape.

"I'm pretty sure you can guess. They run tests on you too?"

An echo of a scream came back to Jake and he battled with himself to ask what had happened... did it even matter if she told him? They had both suffered and it didn't take much imagination to work it out.

"It was pretty much the same crap I've been through before, just with a few creative twists." Sherry replied bitterly.

" _Bingo,_ " Jake thought as one of the lockers finally opened to reveal a fresh set of clothes. He began to dress as he glanced over his shoulder to where Sherry was also pulling clothes from a hanger. He'd looked just in time to catch sight of the gown she'd been wearing fall to the floor. He froze, his eyes taking in long, toned legs that travelled up to simple white underwear that also hardly covered anything. Her back was smooth and flawless and suddenly hidden from view as she pulled a cream coloured blouse around her shoulders.

Jake shook his head. Hard. So he'd spent six months with nothing but J'avo to look at. That didn't give him an excuse to leer at her like a desperate teenager, even if he had spent the first few weeks thinking about their short time back in the cabin before trying to forget about her altogether as he realised getting out alive was becoming less and less likely. But that smile seemed to have ingrained itself in his memory and the feel of her standing close to him would haunt him as he tried to fall asleep-

"Jake... did you hear me?"

He turned just in time to hide the fact that, no, he had not heard a word Sherry had said.

He shrugged his shoulders and hoped it was a good enough response to whatever she'd been saying.

"So you _don't_ know exactly what they were testing you for?" she asked as Jake heard the distinct sound of jeans being pulled up and zipped. He figured it was safe to look again.

Sherry was watching him closely, a slight frown marring her features. Had she seen him look?

No... _that_ look was one of concern. Not of the indignant fury she'd surely wear if she'd caught him acting like a creep.

Jake shook his head as he pulled the black shirt over it and rolled up the sleeves, "Only what I could catch them whispering about. Something about antibodies and the C-Virus..."

"A vaccine?" Sherry questioned. Why would the people who wielded such a weapon want a vaccine for it? Unless they were smart enough to know they could use it to their advantage, allow for strategic outbreaks so they could sell their miracle cure to the highest bidder and rake in the cash.

"Nope. They were trying to enhance it or some shit."

"Oh no..." Sherry groaned. That was far worse.

Jake moved to take a seat on the bench where he pulled the boots onto his feet. It was then that he remembered something else that he had heard mentioned numerous times. A name. His father's name. And the woman who had taunted him about his lineage.

If anyone would know about Albert Wesker, wouldn't it be Sherry? Surely she'd have been briefed about it before being sent after him, he thought.

She must have sensed the tension in him since Sherry moved closer and placed a hand on Jake's bicep, trying to think of something comforting to say. She felt the muscles beneath her fingers twitch and wondered if he was about to pull away. They'd been stood like this the last time they'd been together, with her tending to the wound on his head which was now no more than a barely visible scar.

"Do you know anything about... an Albert Wesker?" he finally asked, ignoring the hand on his arm as he kept his eyes fixed to his feet as if fascinated by the act of tying his laces.

Sherry's hand left his arm and he heard the smallest intake of breath at his question.

"I'll take that as a yes," he muttered.

"Jake... I..."

"It's alright," Jake interrupted, waving a hand dismissively as she stuttered over her words, "I know he's my father. I also know he's a goddamn psychopath." Jake couldn't help the hollow sounding laugh in his throat, "Makes sense though doesn't it? I mean here I was thinking he was just another deadbeat that skipped out on us. _No no no_. Turns out he's a freakin' _nutjob_ that tried to take over the world!"

Jake jumped up from his seat as he felt hot anger flooding through him. He missed the way Sherry took a step back, her fingers twitching at her sides as he angrily circled the small room before slamming shut the locker door.

"Jake..." she began gently, all to aware of the mercurial nature of the man in front of her. "Listen, about your father-"

"She was wrong, you know..." Jake told her, his eyes fixed at the ground as he suddenly grew very still. Sherry wasn't sure what he meant.

"You mean your mother? Whatever she told you Jake I'm sure it was-"

"What? To protect me? You think a woman who could let some drunk do this to her son gave a shit about telling him some white lies about his daddy?" Sherry flinched when Jake lifted the shirt to reveal the scars she'd seen after they'd taken refuge from the avalanche. Of course, how could she have forgotten... not that he had told her directly of course. He'd angrily swatted away her concern at the time. But Jake didn't seem to realise just what he'd just admitted to her as he shook his head and leant against the locker, pressing his fingers to his eyes while the other hand balled into a fist.

"I mean _her_ , the woman that brought us here. She said I was nothing like him."

Sherry didn't know what to say for a moment. She wasn't sure what woman Jake was talking about or what he had been told, but she knew _one_ thing for certain.

"You're not." Sherry told him earnestly, "Jake I don't know what they said to you but you are _nothing_ like Wesker. Trust me."

His fingers dropped to his side and Jake fixed her with a narrow-eyed stare, "So you knew him?"

Sherry's shoulders rose and fell with her sigh. They didn't have time for a conversation like this but she could see the thoughts swimming through Jake's head reflected in his eyes. He was watching her, daring her to lie.

"Yes, I knew him... he... worked with my father."

His expression darkened. Sherry had told him everything about Raccoon City, about her father's experiments and the way that he had died. It had flowed from her so easily, the whole sorry tale. She supposed Jake was the first person she'd met in years who wasn't there to monitor, test or train her. She must have been more desperate for a friendly ear than she'd realised. And Jake's was the friendliest she'd known in a long while, even when she'd found him somewhat terrifying. But of course she'd never mentioned his father or his role within Umbrella. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, although he supposed there were many obvious reasons he just didn't want to think about at that moment. All he knew was that he'd developed a certain respect for Sherry, or something that might even resemble trust. Of course it was mostly born out of guilt knowing he was the reason they'd both been tortured for the last few months. But to learn she'd kept something like this from him... had his judgement of her been so wrong?

Sherry thought about his question before replying. The truth was that it hadn't been _necessary_ to tell Jake about his father. The plan had been to simply gather the DNA needed to develop the vaccine and part ways. The mission should have been completed in a day or two. To tell him the truth could have caused more complications and even put his life at risk.

Sherry knew she would be breaking all sorts of rules by sharing the truth with him, but even though they had barely spent more then a few days in each others company Sherry couldn't help feeling as if she'd known him so much longer. Shared experiences could do that, she thought. Or shared trauma, at least. It was what kept her linked to Leon and Claire even though she barely saw them anymore. Leon had all but disappeared from her life until she'd left captivity and begun to hear the stories about him. She'd been right about him even as a small girl. Leon Kennedy was a hero.

But Jake hadn't swooped in to play the role of saviour like Leon and Claire. Sherry wasn't sure what Jake was to her exactly. Not just a mission, she was certain of that now. She felt a responsibility for him, but also a kinship like she'd never had with anyone before...

He was also still staring at her expectantly.

"It wasn't part of the mission..." she began lamely, knowing it was a poor excuse for keeping a secret she had no right to hide.

Jake scoffed. "Goddamn," he turned his back to her, running a hand over his head as he muttered to himself, "God _fucking_ damn it."

Sherry hung back as his fist came down against another locker door, leaving it indented as he kicked at the bench which toppled over. She didn't move. She didn't speak. She let Jake work out whatever it was he was feeling so she could continue when he was ready to hear her. She couldn't blame him for his anger. In six months he'd learnt his father was a genocidal maniac, his blood was the source of what was essentially a miracle that could save countless lives... and been imprisoned and tortured for those exact reasons. Of course he'd have a little steam to let off.

Eventually his pacing eased while his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. Sherry had the distinct impression that if Archer were to burst through the door at that very second the B.O.W wouldn't have stood a chance. Sherry finished buckling her belt and wrapped a scarf around her neck, securing it in place before calmly closing the locker door that had been shielding her.

"Jake," she said firmly, but not unkindly. He made a sound that was clearly a dismissal, his hand flicking her away as he did so. But Sherry would not be intimidated by him, not again. "Listen to me. What good would telling you about your father have done? I had a job to do, I _still_ do. But if you want to know more then I'll tell you everything I know about Albert Wesker, I promise. We just have to get out of here alive first."

Jake had begun to calm down as she spoke. If he really allowed himself to think about it, it had been crazy enough for some cute little American agent to just waltz on up to him and tell him he was the key to saving the world. If she'd added he was the spawn of some crazy genocidal maniac he'd have laughed in her face and walked away. Sherry wasn't stupid. He'd seen that first hand when she'd somehow tricked Archer into aiding their getaway. He paused and took a breath.

"I'm... really not like him?" he asked, his voice so low she could hardly hear him speak. Sherry saw the way his shoulders dropped, his expression weary as he waited for her to respond.

"No," she said firmly, "and you have the potential to be _so_ _much_ _better_ than he ever could have been. I know you've done... bad things. But you have to accept that they were _your_ choices, and yours alone."

He slid her a long look as she stepped up to him, her eyes clear and her face determined. So sure of what she was telling him that maybe, just maybe, he could believe her.

"So the question is, what are you going to do _now_? Are you going to let _him_ dictate who you get to be?"

Jake almost laughed. Who was this girl who'd breezed into his life and turned everything he knew on its head? To think what could have been had he just walked away from her back in Edonia...

"Fuck no." he replied.

He could have his little identity crises another time, he told himself. For now he needed to save his ass along with Sherry's...

" _Focus Muller,_ " he chided himself silently as Sherry smiled and walked passed him, pleased that for once he seemed capable of rational thought.

"Okay then," she nodded with renewed confidence, "Let's go save the world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well my aim was to always explore why Jake seems to soften up so much between the Edonia and China portions of the game. I hope I'm doing so successfully! There's more to it than Jake just finding Sherry attractive, I suppose through my version of this story I'm giving them both a chance to face their demons and grow. I'm also obviously not following the game exactly. But the same series of events will occur, more or less.


	17. Chapter 17

"Always with the cheesy lines..." Jake mumbled to himself as his mouth twitched with amusement. He'd sort of missed it.

He'd missed her.

He pushed the unexpected realisation deep, _deep_ down as he followed her lead. They cautiously navigated their way through another set of halls that seemed to open up to a reception area.

"What is this place exactly?" Sherry asked. "Is it a lab or a hotel?" Jake shrugged as his eyes caught sight of something moving on the wall.

" _Look out!_ " he yelled, pushing Sherry to the ground and pulling her behind one of desks as the gun-mounted camera fixed on them and begun unleashing a flurry of bullets. Sherry covered her head as debris flew around them. She was aware of a sudden heat and pressure on her back as she realised Jake was trying to shield her. Briefly she wondered if he'd forgotten about the time she survived being impaled on a shard of metal. If either of them could stand being shot, it was her. Sherry arched her back to ease him off of her, twisting to look him in the eyes. "We need to take that camera out!"

"No shit," Jake replied, rocking back on his heels as he eyed the room for anything they could use as they both spotted the door they'd entered through swing open. J'avo spilled into the room. Armed J'avo.

"Looks like our lucky day!" Jake grinned wickedly. They darted around the corner, out of range of the camera, before the J'avo could move too far into the room. Sherry held the stun-rod in her hand, the electricity crackling dangerously as Jake charged.

As far as BOWs went the J'avo were ruthless and bloodthirsty, but stupid. They faltered at the sight of Jake running toward them, only having the sense to bring down their machetes when he'd already moved to dodge their attacks. He sent several of them crashing to the ground before picking up one of the discarded guns and firing, cracking open their masks with an explosion of bone and blood.

Sherry fought with a ferocity he didn't know she had, bringing the rod down on throats and faces as she too shattered skulls. They raided what they could, stealing a holster each as they began picking up weapons and ammunition. Sherry strapped a knife to her thigh and a gun to her side as the stun-rod found its home on her back.

Jake was already leaning around the corner of the hall with his gun positioned to shoot out the camera. He tossed a piece of the broken desk across the room, drawing the attention of the camera if the explosion of bullets was anything to go by, and took the opportunity to sidestep into the room and take out the obstacle in their path with a single shot.

"Still got it," he declared with a victorious air punch as Sherry rolled her eyes. Jake winked at her over his shoulder before heading toward the exit and Sherry instantly felt herself grow flushed and flustered. It was just the adrenaline, she told herself. Jake was opening the door, his gun up and ready to fire as he signalled that it was clear. Sherry couldn't let herself be distracted. Not now.

Jake took point as they made their way through the winding halls. They only encountered the odd stray J'avo which they took out easily between them.

"Does this feel too easy to you?" Jake asked when they finally seemed to find their way above ground. The halls were no longer the grim off-white colour but beautifully decorated with large windows showing the night sky. The floor was made of marble and the ceilings stretched high above them, making their voices and footsteps echo.

"It does. Maybe they're still trying to contain Archer?"

They rounded a corner and Sherry ran face first into Jake's back. A hoarse, rasping voice cried out from the top of a the ornate stone staircase.

"Fuck!" Jake spat as he began to fire, elbowing Sherry back.

Feeling more than a little annoyed at being pushed around and treated like she didn't know what she was doing Sherry sidestepped him and pulled the stun rod from her back.

"Save the ammunition, we don't know how many are up here," she called over her shoulder.

The J'avo in front of her was clumsily reloading, giving her ample time to jump the steps as Jake snapped back with something she didn't quite hear. She struck just as the J'avo lifted its gun, holding it steady as the jolt from the rod began making its muscles seize and spasm. Its finger must have tightened on the gun's trigger as bullets hit the wall just beside Jake's head. He ducked, swearing loudly. Sherry released the charge on the rod and pushed the J'avo down the remaining flight of stairs where it fell messily into a groaning heap. Jake finished the job, bringing his foot down on its chest with a stomach-churning crunch that reverberated off the walls.

His eyes glinted in the dim light of the hall as he shook his head and slowly made his way toward Sherry.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, his voice more than a little strained as he held back his annoyance. Six months ago he would have flown off the handle at almost having his head blown off by a pointless, reckless risk.

The irony was not lost on him. How could he lecture Sherry about risk when he'd blown up a damn mountain and nearly left them buried alive?

Sherry frowned up at him. She'd forgotten just how much he towered over her. The memory of the argument they'd had as they made their way through the mine briefly crossed her mind. Back then he'd been cold-faced and filled with so much rage it seeped from his being like something she could taste, he'd threatened her to the point that she'd pulled out her gun and been prepared to use it.

Now... now he was mad. But the anger was more exasperation than murderous intent.

"Like I said, we should save what bullets we have until we know what we're dealing with."

Sherry's heart was beating a little faster than was necessary. Taking down the J'avo hadn't been _that_ strenuous. Jake's mouth was a thin line and his were brows knitted together in frown. Sherry waited for his retaliation to her poorly thought out offense.

Instead he took her by surprise as he gave a sharp nod of his head, rolling his shoulders as if stretching before a big race, "Hand-to-hand it is then," he agreed. "Just give me a little more heads up next time, 'kay? I almost ate lead back there."

With that he leapt up the remaining steps before pausing, gesturing with two fingers for Sherry to follow.

Sherry blinked up at him as he turned his back. He seemed... a little different. She couldn't quite put her finger on exactly what it was but the cold aloofness was gone and he didn't appear to be on the verge of shooting you in the face if you looked at him the wrong way anymore.

What _had_ they done to him, she wondered.

The top of the stairs opened up to another oversized hall. The walls were lined with glass murals and enormous golden vases. Thick, expensive looking carpet stretched out in front of them.

"They're gonna need this professionally cleaned by the time we get out of here." Jake smirked as Sherry fell in line beside him.

At least he was still his familiar cocky self, she thought. He hadn't been broken by his time here. She didn't know exactly what had been done to him but if it was half as bad as what she'd endured then Sherry was impressed by Jake's strength. Of course this kind of treatment wasn't anything new to him. She glanced up at him as they carefully made their way forward, keeping close to the walls. He'd let slip about his abuse at the hands of what she assumed was his mother's drunken boyfriend back in the locker room. She knew it wasn't the time to bring it up but Sherry found herself wanting to know more about the man she'd been sent to retrieve. She wondered what would have happened if they'd hadn't been discovered in the cabin. Would she really have let him leave and just hoped her punishment wasn't too severe?

There wasn't time for her to think for too long. At the end of the hall more J'avo appeared through expertly carved double doors. Too many to take unarmed.

"So much for saving bullets," Jake quipped. They were outnumbered. Badly.

Sherry pointed out another set of wooden doors just ahead of them. The J'avo didn't open fire until they made a run for it. Sherry heard the bullets ricochet off the walls as glass and ceramic began flying around them. The doors opened up to a room that appeared to be a library of some kind, only making her more confused about exactly where they were being held. It appeared to be empty. Jake grabbed her hand and pulled her in the direction of a staircase.

"Use the shelves, we've got a better vantage point up there," he told her.

They barely had time to get into position when the doors were thrown open and something rattled into the room.

"Grenade!" Jake warned, pushing Sherry further back as an explosion send wood and paper into the air. The tall shelf they'd been crouched behind tumbled, hitting the wall at just the right angle to prevent it crushing them both.

Sherry was on her back, her ears ringing as she stared at Jake's mouth. It was moving but she couldn't hear what he was saying. All she could hear was a low rumble that reminded her of when she'd slide into a deep, hot bath and let the water spill over her face. She felt warm now. It was nice. Except the warmth seemed to be dripping into her eye and a sharp stinging was beginning to replace the woozy sensation...

The warmth was gone and Sherry realised Jake was pushing something with his back, his legs shaking with the weight of it. Sound flooded back to her. Voices were shouting and Jake was grunting with the effort of lifting the shelf so they could slide free.

"Come on super girl, do your thing!"

Her head began to burn and itch. Sherry knew that feeling. That was the feeling of skin and bone knitting itself back together.

Her senses rushed back to her just as she saw several blurry shapes appear behind Jake in the gap created by the partially fallen shelf. Sherry pulled her gun and fired, watching the shapes fall and tumble back down the stairs they'd just climbed.

"Go, I can't hold it-" Jake hissed.

Sherry shuffled on her back, kicking books and pieces of wood from her path. She pulled herself to her knees as the thud of bullets hit the wall just above her head and dropped to her stomach. The J'avo had taken cover behind the tables below them and were firing at random, smoking out their targets. With a crunch Sherry realised the shelf Jake had been hoisting up for her to escape from had fallen once more. She cried out in panic until she spotted Jake crawling out from beneath it, his face scratched and bloody but otherwise unharmed.

"You okay?" they asked in unison.

Jake gave a thumbs up with his free hand, the other cocked his gun.

"How many?" he asked.

Sherry could just about see through the railings that were hanging crookedly. They were lucky the floor hadn't collapsed when the grenade exploded, they'd surely have been crushed to death.

"At least ten-"

Another flurry of shots had them both covering their heads. That was when Sherry spotted it, something glinting just at the top of the stairs. A blue canister that just might be their only shot.

She looked at Jake and gestured toward the flash grenade that must have been dropped by their falling assailants. Jake nodded, "I'll cover you. You grab it."

Awkwardly he lifted his gun and began to fire at the ground below them, sending the J'avo diving behind their tables as Sherry pushed herself up and grabbed the canister. She released the pin and tossed in amongst the nest of tables before diving back to the floor and taking cover. Her eyelids shone red with the intensity of the light. Angry screams filled the room as she felt a hand grab her by the shoulder and pull her to her feet.

"Run. Now!" Jake hissed in her ear.

They took the stairs two at a time, Jake skilfully picking off as many J'avo as he could with clean headshots as Sherry headed for the exit. The writhing J'avo began to blindly shoot around the room and took out three of their own as Jake and Sherry slid out of the door. Reloading his gun with well-practised swiftness Jake took out the remaining attackers just as the doors swung closed behind them.

Their panting was amplified in the silence that followed, both figures listening intently for the sound of more pursuers. Nothing came. Sherry doubled over with a mixture of relief and nausea, a side-effect of her regeneration abilities. She felt a hand on her shoulder as another brushed aside the hair that was still sticky with blood on her forehead.

"I'm fine," Sherry said firmly as she stood upright, fighting the urge to gag.

"You sure?" Jake asked as his eyes travelled from the already-healed injury to her slightly reddened face, "I thought..."

He didn't tell her whatever it was he thought, but Sherry caught the obvious concern in his eyes before his mouth pulled into a thin line. His hand slid from her shoulder and Sherry wasn't sure if the slight shiver in her spine was from the intensity of his gaze or the slowly fading urge to vomit.

Sherry tried to offer a reassuring smile, "Did you forget? Super girl here."

"You should still be more careful," Jake told her, "Just because you can heal doesn't mean they won't get the jump on us in the meantime."

The smile was gone in an instant as Sherry felt something all too familiar squirm inside her. She was supposed to be _his_ rescuer, _his_ protection. Instead she'd not only allowed themselves to be captured but had also almost got him killed twice in the last ten minutes.

"You're right," she nodded as she dropped her eyes to the floor. She hated this feeling. She'd seen that look on her parents faces so often as a child, and then again on Simmons'. " _So much potential..."_ that look said, " _Wasted."_

Clearing her throat Sherry checked how many rounds were left in her weapon and turned to move on until she was stopped by a hand on her upper arm that tugged her back. Sherry stumbled as she looked up in surprise at the frown on Jake's face. Great, she thought, what now?

The frown eased and Jake seemed to be contemplating his words carefully before speaking. Sherry was aware of the fact that they were standing out in the open of their enemies lair, but she was too distracted by the way Jake ran his tongue over his bottom lip while he thought to care.

"You've been through hell," he finally began, his voice low and soft in a way that took Sherry by surprise. "Go easy, okay?"

"Go easy?" Sherry echoed back as her brows hit her hairline, "Jake we're about to fight our way to freedom through who-knows-what and you want me to _take it easy_?"

The hand on her arm was released swiftly as Jake raised both his hands in a defensive motion, his gun hanging loosely in his grip. "Whoa, hey, I'm just sayin'-"

This was why he didn't bother trying to be nice, Jake thought as Sherry glared up at him, it always came back to kick you in the ass. He'd seen the flicker of doubt in her face when he'd told her to be more careful and he'd actually felt a little guilty. Just because Sherry was older it didn't mean she had any where near the same level of experience as Jake. So he'd tried to be encouraging... and now she was just pissed at him.

Jake shrugged as Sherry placed one hand on her hip and tilted her head as if waiting for an explanation. "Fine, forget what I said," he gestured toward their escape with a flourish, "After you."

The death-glare she shot him with was both angering and a little amusing. In Jake's eyes Sherry was about 100 pounds of misplaced optimism and bottled-up rage in one blonde-haired little package. Not too long ago he would have cut his losses and taken off, even with the promise of fifty million at the other end. After all, what good was that amount of money to a dead guy? But Jake found himself following after her with eyes and ears on high alert not just for what might be waiting for him up ahead, but for anything that posed even the slightest threat to Sherry.

It was as they entered an extravagant domed room with staircases curving the walls and a large, golden statue in pride of place in its centre that Jake stole a glance at the woman who was pointedly looking anywhere but at him. He realised that he was in trouble. Not the kind of trouble that would get him shot or stabbed or locked up again. But the kind that he knew would have him taking the dumbest of risks to make sure she made it out safely. The kind of trouble Jake had _never_ let any woman cause for him before.

"Well," he half-heartedly teased, deciding there was nothing he could do about this new problem for the moment, "What are we waiting for?"

Sherry pointed to a door on the opposite side of the room. Apparently she had chosen to ignore the tension that had sprung up between them, for which Jake was grateful. It would make teaming up to escape a whole lot easier.

"There's extra security on that door. We'll need those IDs we stole to open it. Maybe that's where they're keeping our gear?"

It was a long shot but the only one they had. Jake made a sound of agreement and waited for Sherry to make her way down staircase. He didn't like the fact that the building seemed abandoned. Escape shouldn't have been this straightforward.

Pulling the ID card from his pocket they stood either side of the door and swiped in unison. The light overhead flickered before turning to green and the door opened with a mechanical sound. With guns raised they stepped inside and were greeted by another empty room filled with screens and a wall lined with lockers.

Several of the screens showed more empty halls, but Sherry's eyes fell upon one in particular that was filled with images Jake couldn't decipher until a picture of his own face appeared.

"What is all this?" he muttered.

"It looks like data from your experiments... it's all right here..." Sherry couldn't believe their luck, especially when Jake began pulling open the locker doors and presented her with the glowing screen of her phone.

"Maybe you should give your boss a call, ask them to send the Bentley to pick us up."

Sherry didn't hesitate. She placed the phone to her ear as the ringing droned on and her eyes searched for a way to download all the information on the screen in front of her. She pulled open a draw and made a victorious sound as she snatched up the memory stick just as a voice answered her call.

"It's Sherry Birkin..." she began, confirming that she and Jake were unharmed and giving a brief summary of their situation. Jake zoned out whilst he continued rummaging through the lockers until he sensed, rather than heard, the change in her tone. He turned to see Sherry frozen to the spot, her eyes staring unseeingly ahead of her as the muffled voice of whoever was on the other end of the phone continued to speak.

Dread filled him as Sherry hung up the phone.

"There was an attack on US soil... and here... Jake, it's bad."

The light of the screens in the dark room made her pale pallor all the more sickly. Jake stood uselessly, unsure of what to say or do.

"So does that mean we're on our own for the moment?" he asked eventually.

Sherry shook her head, "No. The BSAA is already here and I've been given co-ordinates to get you too. Jake if these people are responsible for the attacks, if they used your blood to enhance the C-Virus-"

Jake snorted humourlessly, "Then I guess that makes me Obi Wan Kinobe right?"

Sherry looked at him blankly, the reference being lost on her.

"Star Wars?" Jake explained, "Famous movie? _You're my only hope._ "

She really had led a sheltered life.

"Does this mean you'll come with me?"

He wasn't sure what to make of the surprised hopefulness of her voice until he remembered their deal from before. The one that assured his freedom by giving Sherry a sample of his blood and skipping the meet-up with her people.

Jake scratched at his head as he took a deep breath, "Looks like I've got no other choice."

For a second he thought Sherry was going to pounce on him. Her entire body relaxed as a relief flooded her features. "Then we need to get moving, now. There's not a moment to waste." She declared as she tucked the memory stick in her pocket.

"Yes ma'am," Jake smirked, glad to see the same old glint of hope in Sherry's eyes as when they'd first met. He would accept her thanks and praise at a later date for his co-operation. They had other matters to think of first after all.

"We need to get through the city first," Sherry told him, her voice taking on an edge of apprehension.

"That bad huh?"

Sherry typed something into one of the keyboards and the screen changed to one filled with fire and chaos. It was a news report. The headlines detailed an outbreak of an unknown virus and mass riots in the city. Jake was no stranger to these kind of circumstances, but as he watched the blurry images of a disfigured man who was sprouting new limbs charge into a crowd of panicked civilians he felt something hot settle in his stomach as his throat constricted tightly.

"This is all because of the C-Virus... because of..."

Sherry stepped in front of the screen, blocking it from view. "It's _not_ your fault Jake," she began. Sherry didn't need to guess at what he was thinking. She'd seen the very expression he was wearing in her own mirror countless times. "Blame those that created it; the people who unleashed it on the world."

She reached out as Jake stepped back with a shake of his head. Her hands wrapped tightly around his wrists to stop him from pulling away as his eyes darkened, reflecting the fire-filled images on the screen. Sherry almost gasped at the effect this had on his appearance. Sherry had read the report on Wesker's death, including the description of his eyes that would glow red. She almost released him and took a step back herself until the vision of Wesker's sneering face faded back into Jake's, whose expression was filled with anger... and pain.

"This is what they wanted me for? Those _fuckers,_ " he ground out.

Sherry's face was filled with sympathy and understanding. Jake wanted to push her away, to demand she stop looking at him like that. He didn't deserve her sympathy. If he hadn't been such a stubborn ass than she could have completed her mission and none of this would have happened.

"I know how you feel Jake, but we can't change what's happened. We have to try and stop anyone else falling victim to Neo-Umbrella's plans, whatever the hell they are. Please, don't lose sight of that now."

Jake tore his eyes from the hell on the screen and focussed on Sherry. How many times had she been forced to bear witness to this? How did she carry the knowledge that it was her kin, her blood, that helped cause so much devastation without buckling from the guilt and grief.

Her hands loosened from his wrists and Jake caught them before they dropped to her sides. "I won't," he promised her solemnly. He felt Sherry's fingers squeeze his own as his familiar self-assured smirk made its appearance. "Isn't this the part where you tell me to go save the world?"

"I think I need a new catchphrase," Sherry laughed lightly.

The moment was surreal as they stood surrounded by images of death and suffering. But to Jake the moment was a spark of renewal. All his life he had tried to figure out the sense of loss and longing within him. As a child he thought it came from not knowing his father, and as a young man from the hurt caused by his mothers sickness and mistreatment. Now he realised for the first time in his life he had a purpose, something he'd denied ever needing or wanting more than the thrill of the job and the pay-out at the end.

He was about to say something undoubtedly cliché and corny, the situation seemed to call for it as Sherry stared at him with those strikingly blue eyes of hers. But Jake caught sight of something on the screen just behind her that made his heart skip a beat.

" _Shit_."

Sherry spun to see what Jake was clenching his jaw at. One of the screens from the security camera's was filled with the J'avo they'd assumed should have been on guard. They were backing down a familiar hallway, weapons firing at something just off screen-

"Damn it, he got out." Jake dropped Sherry's hands and stepped closer to the screen, slamming his hand down on the control panel in anger.

Sherry ran her hands through her hair, her entire body trembled as she realised what this meant. The J'avo were failing to control Archer, they couldn't take him down. A clawed hand ran the length of the wall, leaving a long trail behind it before charging. Sherry closed her eyes as the J'avo fell. Even withouth sound she swore she could hear the screams. Or maybe they were her own.

Hands pressed down on her shoulders and she opened her eyes to see Jake's worried expression swimming in front of her.

"Sherry?" he questioned.

She hadn't batted an eyelid at the likes of the Ogroman and the Ustanek, so why was-

"Your father." Jake breathed, putting the pieces together. That was why Archer had been turned into that particular type of monster instead of simply executed. It was a twisted joke, a punishment of some kind. But Jake knew Archer was uncontrollable, that much was obvious. They couldn't let it escape the facility and make its way to the city. It had to be stopped.

"You stay here, cover me on the cameras if you can. I'm going to find a way to stop him."

This time is was Sherry's turn to grab him, pulling him away from the exit. "No," she told him, her voice shaken but certain, "You can't. Not alone."

Jake wanted to deny her. Sherry was clearly more affected by Archer's transformation than she wanted him to see, but he also recognised the stubborn sense of duty that had kept her going through Edonia.

"You're sure?"

Sherry shook her head, "No. But what choice do we have? I'm supposed to bring you to the rendezvous in one piece. Besides, I've dealt with the G-Virus before and you need backup."

Jake didn't like it but he also knew she was right.

"Fine," he conceded, "Let's kick this thing in the ass and get the hell out of dodge."

After grabbing their confiscated supplies Sherry followed Jake from the security room. Perhaps she should have mentioned the strange connection she'd felt with Archer when he'd spotted her through the window; the way she'd seemed to know just what he was thinking before he pushed himself through the glass that cut and tore at his flesh but still didn't slow him down. When her father had transformed he'd hunted her down because of their blood connection. He'd been seeking a strong enough host to pass on the virus to. Was that what bonded her to Archer? Could he sense the dormant virus within her?

It was too much to consider as they leapt up the steps and followed the sound of tearing flesh and hideous screams. None of those things mattered. All she knew was that she had to stop Archer before he mutated further or spread the virus beyond the compound. And she had to keep Jake safe. History would not repeat itself.

She wouldn't let it.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I'm not well at the moment! I'm pretty sure its a standard viral illness and not covid related but I'm feeling quite run down. This chapter had a lot to pack in and I'm hoping the fact that I'm feeling pretty spacey lately hasn't left me writing a bunch of gibberish! I've also been re-reading the fic and making a few edits. Jake and Sherry feel like completely different characters now but I'm hoping that's a good sign that they are growing and developing with the plot! Thank you to my regular commenters, it is wonderful to receive your feedback.

They followed the sounds of screams and tearing flesh cautiously with their backs to the marble walls as they made their way down unfamiliar halls until silence surrounded them once again. Sherry was uneasy as Jake opened another set of heavy doors, stepping inside with his gun raised to reveal a dark room illuminated with neon lights.

"Is this... a bar?" Sherry said incredulously.

"Looks like our kidnapper likes to lives in style. Imagine having access to this place for the last six months, would have made the time pass a whole lot easier." Jake replied, disdain thick in his voice.

"No kidding," Sherry lowered her gun as they cleared the room. "Just who has these kinds of resources-"

She was cut off by the sound of shattering glass and a roar that bounced off the walls. They turned in unison as the doors were thrown from their hinges and the bodies of two shredded J'avo were tossed toward them.

Crouching low they avoided being hit as one of the J'avo landed atop the piano on the stage behind them, mixing the jarring sound of splintering wood and bone with a cascade of off-note keys. They sprung upright just as Archer's oversized body stooped low to drag itself into the room, its claws digging deep into the wall as it bellowed. The eye on its shoulder swivelled manically as it moved over Jake, who was already taking aim, before it landed on Sherry.

The eye stilled, as did Archer, his body slumping forward halfway into the room.

Sherry could feel it again, the pull she couldn't explain.

"Put your gun down," Sherry instructed.

Jake would have looked at her like she was crazy if he'd dared take his eyes of the looming BOW blocking their only exit.

" _What_?" he hissed instead.

" _Just trust me_. Archer... he's still in there. Somewhere."

Jake had no idea what Sherry was talking about. Sure the patches of hair and the distorted face was undeniably still him, but he'd never heard of a BOW holding onto any of their humanity. Except for the woman at his side...

Against his better judgement Jake lowered the gun, "I hope you know what you're doing," he muttered as he felt his trigger finger twitch.

Secretly Sherry was hoping for the same as she slowly raised an open palm and took a step closer. She could feel Jake tense beside her as he resisted the urge to pull her back.

Sherry wasn't sure what she was doing, this feeling was completely alien to her. She was just following her instincts.

"You know it's too late to save you," she said gently, "the infection... it's too progressed. We can't help you."

"You sure that's the route you wanna take?" Jake asked apprehensively as Archer let out a low-throated growl in response.

"He already knows," Sherry replied shortly, as if Jake's input was bothersome. Her focus seemed to be directed at only the creature in front of her, "Doctor Archer... you need to fight it for as long as you can. But you know we can't let you leave here."

" _Oh this is bad idea_ ," Jake thought to himself. " _Very bad_."

His fingers twitched as he raised the gun just a little. The giant eye that apparently missed nothing swung to him as his clawed hand undug itself from the walls with a grinding crunch. It rose up, catching the low hanging ceiling as Jake took aim while he was shouting for Sherry to move aside.

She did. Just not in the way Jake had intended. Sherry jumped _in front_ of him, between Jake's gun and Archer's falling claws. Jake saw it all as if in slow motion; those talons ripping through Sherry like paper. Could she survive an injury that severe?

Except Sherry was still standing there in front of him, unharmed and breathing hard as the very tips of Archers claws came to a halt directly in front of her face.

Jake didn't dare move.

The seconds stretched on. He could hear Archer's wet, laboured breathing as every muscle in his body told him to fight, or to run. Just to _do something_. But there was something in the way that Sherry was standing between them, her hands empty of any weapon to defend herself with, while Archer stared at them both that kept Jake still.

"He's mine," Sherry eventually said with a remarkable amount of calm, "Don't hurt him."

The whine that escaped Archer was like that of a dog that had just been kicked by its owner. Jake didn't know whether to laugh or be incredibly creeped out by the display of what seemed like... obedience? No. Submission.

To Sherry.

Jake had seen his fair share of the strange and unexplainable, some of it too messed up to even _want_ to remember. But this was pretty high on the list of weird. Even more so because it seemed to be working.

"No sudden moves," Sherry told him over her shoulder, "If he thinks you're a threat he'll kill you."

Jake didn't like it. Not one bit. BOWs were for killing, not negotiating with. "What, you the BOW whisperer now?"

Ignoring his jibe Sherry kept looking forward, standing a little taller as she spoke with more confidence. "Go back to the cells. If you keep yourself somewhere secure you can't hurt anyone. We'll send help... maybe someone can figure out a way to..."

Jake could hear the way her voice faltered. Why try and offer false hope? Sherry had already admitted there was no reversing the mutation now that he was this far gone. Even _he_ knew that. Archer was beginning to shift with agitation. It was almost as if he was gesturing something to Sherry.

"I can't stay," Sherry said firmly, "I have a mission. You know what Jake's blood can do and you know what the C-Virus has done to this city. They've used it in an attack back home too, in a place called Tall Oaks-"

Jake couldn't possibly have known why those words had Archer rearing back and crying out with a howl that sounded both painfully human and frighteningly _not_. Of course neither of them could had known how the faux-Ada had forced Archer to listen to the plan set out by Derek Simmons and The Family. Archer's last moments as a human had been spent being torn apart by the knowledge that they would release the very virus he had helped develop on so many innocent souls, including his own daughter who had joined the Tall Oaks University that very year. She had laughed as his body twisted and mutated, informing him that his only child would meet a similar fate in just a matter of hours.

The cry shook the walls, sending the bottles that had been so neatly lined on the shelves tumbling the ground where they shattered.

"That's enough of this shit," Jake yelled as he grabbed Sherry tight and pulled her behind him.

This angered Archer even further. He lunged at Jake, missing only because his enormous form left him off-balance as he tumbled over a table sporting a roulette wheel in its middle. He could feel Sherry pulling at his arm before she began pushing him toward the door. Unwilling to trust her _not_ to try something noble and stupid Jake took hold of her hand and dragged her along behind him, heading back to the foyer.

"Why did you do that? I was getting through to him!" Sherry cried as she pulled her hand from his grip. She kept running, for which Jake was thankful since he could _feel_ the footsteps that made the ground tremble close behind.

"No way was he just going to sit like a good little puppy and wait for help he _knows_ isn't coming!" Jake retorted.

"You don't understand. That was _grief_ -"

"Who cares!"

Jake didn't have the capacity nor the time to even contemplate how Sherry could have possibly known what a BOW was feeling. It was crazy to think it could _feel_ anything at all. They leapt down the last of the stairs just as Archer exploded through the doors above them. They could try the main exit, but it would risk Archer escaping the compound once he was outside. Jake took the room in quickly, assessing the best course of escape. At the top of the staircase to his left was another door, but it was blocked-

"Erm, Jake..." he heard Sherry gasp just as he began to feel it too. The ground's rumbling was not from Archer alone. The chandelier above them began to shake as did everything around them. Jake heard the sound of a metallic grinding and grabbed Sherry by the arm, pulling her to the side where they took cover behind one of the enormous pillars.

Archer leapt from the balcony just as the wall was blown inward. Jake's eyes could barely believe what he saw as Archer reared back on legs that began to bulge and shift before snatching up the front of the tank that had just blasted its way inside the building.

"This is _insane_!" he spat out.

Sherry didn't reply. She was watching in horror as the main gun on the tank swung from side to side. "If that tank fires inside-"

"Oh I'm way ahead of you," Jake stated dryly as he eyed the crumbling exit. There was space to slip out behind the tank and make a break for it. Of course nothing could ever be that simple.

"But if we leave Archer will follow us..."

Jakes resisted the urge to grind his teeth in frustration. Just once he'd like a nice, simple plan, "You sure do make some interesting friends," he snarked.

Sherry ignored him, her eyes still transfixed on the battle in front of them. The tank was trying to reverse but Archer was holding on tight, lifting the front clean off the floor as if he meant to flip it over. Sherry battled with herself. She knew he was already lost, he'd be lucky to have more than a few hours to hold onto the last shreds of his humanity. But when he had screamed in anguish before Jake attacked, Sherry had felt his pain wash over her. It was overwhelming. Unbearable. She knew something had happened beyond Archer's forced transformation, it was the very thing keeping him from losing that last piece of himself and also what threatened to push him over the edge.

She wanted to help. To save him like he had tried to save her.

She also knew that, just like her father, it was too late.

"We're gonna have to help that tank. Aim for his arms, force him to drop the tank so it can get him its sights."

"And then?"

"We run like hell."

It wasn't a great plan, but it was all they had. Jake fixed Sherry with a hard look that told Sherry in no uncertain terms that if she argued he would drag her ass out of there whether she wanted him to or not. With shaking fingers she reloaded her gun and forced herself to think of nothing but the mission she still had to complete.

With a nod they stepped out from the cover of the pillar as they opened fire. Archer whined and howled, the eye on its shoulder swirling and landing on them both almost accusingly.

"Wait..." Sherry cried out, stopping her assault and reaching out to forcefully push Jake's gun to the side. He swore loudly as he finished unloading the clip into the side of the tank, flinching as the bullets ricocheted.

"He's _helping_ us." Sherry explained as Jake ferociously questioned her sanity.

She couldn't explain how she knew these things. As Archer's body began to buckle Sherry realised he was buying them time. Time to make their escape from the hole in the wall created by the very thing trying to kill him.

"You can't know that," Jake snapped back, "Sherry, we _have_ to kill him. He can't make it out of here."

The groaning grind of the tank attempting to break free of Archer's grip couldn't drown out the voice in her head. The one that told her there was just enough to Archer left that he knew there was only one fate left for him...

"He won't..." Sherry breathed, her chest tightening until she could barely speak. "But we have to go, _now_."

She didn't him a chance to argue. Sherry tore her eyes from Archer and ran, heading into the gardens without looking back. She knew Jake would follow even if he didn't understand what she was doing. She could explain her actions later; if she could even find the words.

"Christ Sherry, I hope you know what you're doing," he told her as he fell into step beside her.

The gardens were immaculate, lined with beautifully crafted statues and paintings around a large fountain that almost resembled a small lake.

"There," Jake grabbed Sherry's arm to slow her down, "we can climb over that wall-"

He was unable to finish his sentence since a blast from behind them knocked them both from their feet, sending debris crashing over their hands and into the water. Sherry hit the ground with such force the air was pushed from her lungs. Jake was beside her, scrambling for her as he tried to pull himself to his feet.

From the smouldering wreckage behind them came the smell of smoke and something else. Burning metal and wood mixed with the scent of charred flesh. Sherry didn't need to look to know... she could feel it like a hole inside her own chest.

"The tank... it must have..."

Sherry didn't want to imagine what had been left of Archer once the tank had fired at such a close range. The building began to crumble, but not before another sound reached them.

"Fuck, here it comes!" Jake cried out, finally pulling Sherry to her feet. She let him pull her along toward the wall as she tried to shake some sense back into herself. It was done. Archer was dead and they were _so_ _close_ to freedom. She had to think about the mission.

They stopped beside the concrete wall. Jake knelt, cupping his hands together as he nodded for Sherry to make the first jump. With surprising strength he was able to lift her with ease and almost threw her clear over the top. Sherry managed to hold on and twist herself round, her hand reaching for him as she saw the gun of the tank begin to rise.

Jake took a step back before leaping, somehow managing to run the first few steps up the wall until he caught Sherry's arm. She pulled as he gave himself one last push.

They fell backwards, landing on soft grass and rolling as far from the wall as they could. Once again Sherry felt Jake's heat and weight upon her. This time he'd thrown himself on her while she faced him so there was barely an inch of separation between them. Her heart stopped as she opened her mouth in surprise until another ear-splitting blast had her tucking her face into the space between his chin and chest.

The wall exploded toward them. Jake's hands covered her ears but she could still hear the cacophony of creative cursing he released, some of it she was sure wasn't even in a language she recognised.

As the dust settled Jake lifted himself onto his knees as Sherry gasped loudly, catching her breath while he twisted on the grass. The tank wasn't moving but he could still hear the sound of _something_ approaching them as the ringing in his ears subsided.

It was Sherry who spotted it first, the helicopter flying above them. She pointed upward as Jake leapt to his feet, recognising the face smirking at him from the open door. She rose two fingers to her head in a mock salute before raising an eyebrow and pointing behind him, her mouth sounding out what looked to Jake to be a sarcastic "good luck" before the helicopter tore away, heading toward the city skyline.

Sherry took his arm and tugged to gain his attention, she had been distracted by something else headed their way. The tank wasn't moving because what looked like a small army of J'avo were clamouring over the ruined wall with guns and knives held aloft as their wet, breathless grunts echoed toward them.

Fighting was _not_ an option. They didn't even need to look at each other before they began to run down the grassy bank toward a much smaller building. In the moonlight Sherry could see large windows, but it was Jake that spotted what was inside first. He laughed, earning himself a look from Sherry that asked if he'd gone mad. He didn't answer as he aimed his gun and fired at the glass, knocking out one of the large windows. It was as the glass tumbled and shattered that Sherry saw it too.

"Can you drive this thing?" Sherry asked, eyeing the bike before peering over her shoulder at the J'avo who were closing in fast.

Jake had swung his leg over the vehicle with a wave of relief and excitement as he spotted the keys already in the ignition. "Like we have any other option, just get on!"

Sherry did as instructed as Jake kicked the bike to life. She barely had time to wrap herself around him before they were flying through the broken window and away from their pursuers. The path they followed led toward lights and what looked like a highway. Sherry craned her neck to see if they were being followed, barely able to believe that they had made it. Once she realised the J'avo were fading into the distance without appearing to be giving chase she felt herself relax against Jake's back.

"You okay back there?" Jake called over his shoulder.

"I think so," came Sherry's reply. Really she needed a moment to stop, to catch her breath and gather her senses, but if the ringing coming from her pocket was anything to go by she knew there was no such chance.

She answered the call to a familiar voice while holding onto Jake with one hand.

"Sherry, my dear. I've just been informed of your predicament. Are you still with Mr Muller?"

"Yes," Sherry said breathlessly. She'd almost forgotten the effect the man who had been her legal guardian throughout her teen years could have on her. As soon as she became an adult he had then become her employer. Derek Simmons was a well-spoken, intelligent man with a thin smile and cold eyes. But he had always been kind to Sherry... at least that had always been what her younger self had believed.

"Good, good. That is a relief... I'm sending you co-ordinates for where our team is taking refuge. The city is in dire peril my dear, you must get to us without a moment to lose!"

"Of course sir, I-"

"And Sherry, it is imperative that you have no contact with _anyone_ until you reach me personally, do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

The line was cut before Sherry could finish speaking. She placed it securely in her pocket, the conversation leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Jake, who had been watching her in the side mirror, wasn't sure what to make of the tension that was emanating from her.

"That your boss? What did he say?" he asked as Sherry placed her arm around his middle once again. Jake tried not to think too much about the fact that he could feel her pressed so closely against his back as he focussed on driving on the empty roads.

"He's sending us his location," came her reply. Jake didn't like the edge to her voice. He wasn't sure if it was the conversation on the phone that was the cause or the fact that they were about to drive into hell if the smoke and fire-filled skyline was any indication of the mayhem that awaited them.

"You okay?" he asked tentatively. He could still see the frown on Sherry's face reflected in the mirror. She saw his worried look and tried to smile back but her eyes remained clouded. With a jerk he turned the bike toward a sideroad which led to an unlit path surrounded by overgrown trees.

"Jake, what are you doing? You're going the wrong way!"

The bike came to a halt as he switched off the engine, ignoring Sherry's pleas for him to turn around and head for the city. He stepped from the bike and turned to take Sherry by the shoulders before leaning down so they were eye-to-eye as the look on his face silenced her protests.

Sherry wasn't sure if the shiver that ran up her spine was from the slight breeze in the smoky air or the way Jake's eyes travelled over her face. They'd been this close many times before, he'd even seen her half-naked only an hour ago, yet he was somehow making her feel completely exposed with the way he examined her now.

Sherry forced herself to drop her gaze. Only seconds had passed but she felt the air in her lungs begin to burn as she forgot how to breathe while the urge to either push him away or throw herself into his arms became overwhelming.

"You wanna tell me what's going on?" he asked so gently Sherry felt like she was being held steady by a completely different person than the man she'd escaped Edonia with all those months ago.

She tried to shrug off his concern but his grip refused to loosen. _They don't have time for this_ was what she _wanted_ to tell him. Instead she took a slow, shuddering breath and looked up at him once more.

"I don't know," she began honestly, "Everything just feels... wrong."

Jake nodded and continued to watch her as his grip lightened just a little, "Are you talking about your boss... or what happened back there with Archer?"

Sherry didn't know. Both, she supposed. Her time in captivity had given her space to think without his influence on her. His voice had brought back so many horrible memories...

The first experiments had been straight-forward. Sample of her DNA taken in every form they could think of. Scans and X-rays, her weight and height monitored everyday along with her vital signs. Even going to the bathroom... everything was watched closely to understand the phenomenon occurring within her body. She remembered when she was sixteen and transferred to a new unit. Simmons had accompanied her as he opened the door to her new room. It hadn't been clinical and cold like before. There were soft rugs and flower-covered sheets on her bed. There was even a television on the wall and a shelf filled with books.

She could have anything she wanted, he'd said, all she had to do was agree to a few more tests...

It was obvious to her now that Derek's firm but fair 'fatherly' approach had been a tool to manipulate her with. She'd been missing for months and he hadn't even asked if she was okay, only if Jake was still with her.

Which made her think about Jake's accusations before, that she didn't care what happened to him as long as she fulfilled her mission and got what was needed to create the C-Virus vaccine. Had she been twisted into the same single-mindedness of the men and woman who hadn't even flinched when they repeatedly tore the fingernails from a screaming sixteen year old girl, just to see how many times they would grow back? Had she too been brainwashed into believing it was all worth it for the greater good?

And what had happened with Archer... the connection she didn't understand but could still feel the loss of in her veins... perhaps she was less human than she'd thought.

Jake watched silently as Sherry seemed to struggle to find the words to speak. He didn't know what she'd been through, but he could see clear as day that whatever was going through her mind was threatening to push her over the edge. He let go of her shoulders and stood up, towering over Sherry as she remained slumped with exhaustion on the bike's seat. He needed to do something to pull her back, there was no way they would make it through the hellscape they'd found themselves in if she was distracted like this.

He cleared his throat loudly before speaking.

"Hey what was that er, ' _he's mine_ ' stuff about?" he asked as he came to rest against the side of the bike. He hadn't thought anything of it at the time, occupied as he was by the threat that was looming before them, but looking back it had been a little... odd.

Sherry frowned slightly as she tried to work out what he meant until the memory came back clearly, making her shake her head as she thought about the way she'd been able to sense Archer's murderous intent toward Jake when he'd moved.

"It's hard to explain. It's like I just knew what Archer was thinking. He seemed caught between his old self and the virus' control... I guess it has something to do with the traces of the G-Virus that are still dormant within me..."

Jake 'hmm-ed' thoughtfully for a moment before tilting his head to the side as something occurred to him, "Sounds kind of primal... like _you_ were the Alpha..."

"No," Sherry scoffed at the thought, "He could still remember me. The voice in the room, when they made me watch you two fight, it said Archer wanted to help me because I reminded him of his daughter. Deep down the instinct was still there."

"So you telling him that _I'm yours_ wasn't some weird territorial thing?" Jake pushed, feeling the corners of his mouth pulling upward as Sherry fixed him with a weirded-out expression.

"...Isn't that like a pee thing?"

Jake laughed, "Oh we don't know each other _that_ well." Sherry rolled her eyes, but Jake still managed to catch the slight reddening of her cheeks before she looked away, "Why do I get the feeling you're avoiding the question."

Sherry was mildly amused by Jake's observations, but she couldn't shake the deep sense of regret and failure that came with thinking about the man who had tried to help her. "Archer recognised me, yes. But he saw _you_ as the threat that was thrown in that room to kill him. It was the only way to assure him you weren't there to hurt him."

Another thought occurred to Jake then. If Sherry knew what Archer was thinking, then that was why she'd so confidently told him to leave Archer with that tank. Had she known the BOW had been planning to let the tank take him out... so _they_ wouldn't have to?

Without thinking he reached out and took Sherry's hand, taking himself by surprise as much as it did her. Sherry snapped her head round to look at him as Jake regarded her with a closed expression before speaking.

"It's not your fault, you know. None of it."

Sherry was already trying to break her hand free of his grip. She didn't want him to make excuses. People always told her she needed to be protected and perhaps they were right. Even as a BOW Archer had died to allow her to escape. Even her own father hadn't had the strength to do such a thing.

Sherry felt her hand tighten around Jake's. A man who had spent months studying her, submitting her to tests and experiments, who hadn't known anything about her except that she looked like his daughter cared more about her than her own father ever had. And that had gotten him killed.

It seemed everyone she touched suffered in some way.

Would Jake be the same?

Sherry almost wanted to warn him, to tell him to leave her behind before her curse ruined him too. But Jake would have no time for her self-pity. They were still hand in hand, eyes fixed on each other just like back in the security room when she had been the one stopping Jake from falling into despair. And now he was returning the favour. It didn't heal the raw wounds that would always be within her, but it gave her something. If he could find something hopeful to cling to among all the madness than surely she could to.

"If you're ready we should get going," he told her, his voice uncharacteristically gentle, "we've got a world to save after all, right?" he said with a final squeeze of her hand before letting go. Sherry nodded as he took his position back on the bike. The air was warm but she felt cold all over as she pressed her cheek against Jake's back. For now they had no choice but to head toward Simmons' location and hope it wasn't too late for Jake's blood could make a difference.

She wondered why, even after his six month taste of captivity at the hands of their enemies, Jake suddenly appeared unbothered by the notion that he could end up somewhere just like it at the hands of her own government.

Or perhaps he was still hoping for his fifty million.

Either way Sherry found herself grateful that he was still there with her.

And not just because he was the key to the vaccine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Sherry's going through a little crisis...
> 
> I was tempted to write in a kissing scene toward the end but, honestly, if you've just been through hell and are having a PTSD episode and someone thinks its a great time to shove their tongue down your throat instead of trying to comfort you and offer you a little strength... that just says creep to me. And Jake is no creep. Plus what's another twenty or so chapters of sexual tension right? 
> 
> I'm joking... maybe.


End file.
